WAYNESBORO– The hearing for Principal Steven Pappas continued Jan. 20, at Hooverville Elementary School auditorium. Pappas, who oversaw Summitview Elementary School on Summit Avenue, is facing allegations of misconduct and unprofessionalism.
The school district prosecuting the case called their remaining witnesses including Assistant Superintendent Diane McCallum, who gave testimony regarding the allegations of not following chain of command, comments made by Pappas regarding the food served in the cafeteria and comments about union membership within the school district and his alleged unprofessional attitude during meetings and hearings. There were even remarks made about his use of bad language and “withholding the truth.”
Pappas will be able to present his perspective at the next hearing at 5 p.m. Jan. 30 at Hooverville Elementary School. A crowd of about 150 interested parents and others have been present for the first two parts of the hearing, and a petition drive is now underway at change.org. (LocalNews1.org has a separate story regarding the petition drive.) Facebook groups have formed around this issue, and the LocalNews1.org Facebook page also has been lively with comments.
Much of this testimony Tuesday, the second day of the hearing, was broken apart by the defense team. When asked if it was standard practice for a school administrator to ask permission from McCallum before making a decision regarding their school, McCallum began to fumble over her words and did not give a clear answer, simply stating “this case was a special circumstance,” but no clarification for that statement was given.
When school district witness Jennifer Smith, the school librarian, took the stand, the defense found gaps in her statements as well regarding Pappas following of procedures and policies in regards to the way he handled the situation.
The defense was facing some challenges during cross examination. The use of hypothetical questions was denied by the board chairman, despite no such denial being given to the school district prosecution during its testimony during which such questions were used.
There were also interruptions to the cross examination made by the board, which did not occur during the school district testimony. These challenges to the defense did not go unnoticed by members of the crowd who voiced their discontent.
Pappas has yet to have the opportunity to take the stand to give his side of the story. The hearings appear to be taking longer than anticipated, which is causing some dissention among the community.
Pappas has been on paid administrative leave since September, although the school board voted to demote him to teacher in November. He appealed that decision and requested the public hearing.
