Derby school officials did not release any new details Wednesday about the sudden departure of high school principal Greg Gaillard.
The principal handed in a one-sentence resignation letter Tuesday night. It was effective the same day it was handed in. His letter cited unspecified personal reasons for his departure.
Gaillard’s resignation is the third major leadership change within Derby’s public schools in a month.
The school board voted Dec. 3 to replace two administrators at Derby Middle School — principal Sean Morrissey and dean of students Matthew Spar.
Three parents spoke about Gaillard’s resignation during the public comment portion of Wednesday’s meeting.
Rita Asare, a four-year resident of the city, said she was concerned about the flurry of leadership changes in the district.
“The lack of stability on our school is a reflection of us and our leadership,” Asare said.
She said she was frustrated by the lack of information coming out of the district as to the underlying reasons behind the administrative changes.
“We need to know a little more than, ‘OK, somebody quit,’” she said.
Asare said the changes are hurting Derby students.
“We can’t keep sugar-coating it and pushing it under the rug,” she said.
High school parent Christina DiMartino called the situation sad, especially for the students.
The district has been on an upswing, DiMartino said.
“Everything is disruptive now, for the kids,” she said. “I just want to make sure that everything gets put into place to help salvage everything that has been done, and to move forward. Now the kids are suffering.”
Parents found out about Gaillard’s departure after school started Wednesday morning.
“I’m just curious as to why something wasn’t sent out last night,” parent and former school board member Casey Pacheco asked. “Communication really needs to be for the parents.”
Superintendent Matthew Conway alluded to the abrupt nature of the principal’s departure. The superintendent said he didn’t want to call parents at 10 p.m. Tuesday.
“The board members were notified late yesterday,” Conway said.
Conway told reporters just prior to the start of Wednesday’s meeting that the high school principal’s position would not be discussed because there wasn’t time to place it on the agenda.
The board did not vote to “accept” Gaillard’s resignation, something the school board does as a formality.
After the meeting Conway said he could not comment on the matter because it was a personnel issue.
Middle School Admins Are Still Employees
School officials have also been hesitant to talk about why Morrissey, the Derby Middle School principal, and Spar, the middle school’s dean of students, were replaced by a vote of the school board Dec. 3.
However, the school district released documents Dec. 5 showing that Morrissey and Spar both received letters from Conway Nov. 25 telling them they were on administrative leave pending “the results of an investigation at Derby Middle School.”
“During this time, you will not report to work and will not attend school functions,” Conway stated in the letter.
Spar and Morrissey were also advised in a second Nov. 25 letter that the investigation was directly connected to “the events of Monday, November 17, 2014.”
That’s the date when a written threat against students and staff was discovered on a stall within a girls’ bathroom in the middle school. The school was put in “lock in” mode as Derby police investigated. A 13-year-old student was accused of the crime a few days later.
Parents complained they were not kept in the loop during the incident.
Both Spar and Morrissey were also advised by the superintendent in a letter that the investigation into the Derby Middle School incident would be discussed at the Dec. 3. school board meeting.
They were entitled to have a lawyer present at the meeting. Furthermore, the two administrators had the option of having the discussion in public, the letter stated.
Instead, neither Spar or Morrissey attended the meeting and the Derby Board of Education met in executive session, a type of meeting closed to the public, to talk about the investigation with Conway.
Conway has repeatedly declined to discuss findings of his investigation.
The Valley Indy submitted a Freedom of Information request for access to Morrissey’s and Spar’s personnel file on Nov. 24. Conway emailed copies of the files to the Valley Indy Dec. 4, but they did not contain the letters about the administrative leave.
The Valley Indy then requested additional information, and Conway released the disciplinary letters on Dec. 5.
Conway said the administrative leave letters were not part of the personnel file when the school district made copies of the files on Nov. 24, the date the Valley Indy made the request.
The letters are dated Nov. 25, contain a “cc” to the employees’ personnel files and are embedded below.
Conway said Wednesday that Morrissey and Spar are both still employed by Derby Public Schools and are being paid.
Conway To Spar:
Conway To Morrissey:
