Sunday, November 15, 2009
Editorial: Finally, William Fleming can move on
The firing of a principal for cheating allows Roanoke schools to fill the post.
From the RoundTable blog
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Roanoke City Schools might not have seen the last of fired principal Susan Willis. Administrators and board members could see her again in court -- if she sues. But two things were made clear by last week's vote to fire her: Willis will not again lead William Fleming High School, and cheating carries consequences.
Educators and most students can finally move on, hopefully soon with a new permanent principal for the high school. But some students will still need to deal with makeup classes because their former principal had such little faith in them.
Willis was placed on leave in the spring after a Department of Education investigation. It found she ordered underlings to change schedules of students she deemed marginal so they could avoid Standards of Learning exams (SOLs) and not affect the school's marks. Some students were under individual learning plans that should not have been altered without their parents' permission.
Willis contested her firing, leading to an involved, expensive and private grievance hearing conducted by three individuals, one of whom was handpicked by her. The board, acting on the report, fired her. Willis maintains her innocence and selectively released only one part of the report, the dissent by her representative, to prove her case.
She'll find few willing to believe her -- unless, that is, she releases the entire report and it supports her claim, despite the majority of the school board finding it justified her firing.
Willis has been guided by a public relations firm and an attorney. Undoubtedly, she will continue to follow their advice on how to restore her image and whether to file a lawsuit, alleging anything from breach of contract to discrimination to defamation.
Our advice: Teach students one last lesson. An honorable person accepts the consequences of her actions.
