At the end of the previous school year, principal David Madden got in trouble after making some very unprofessional comments about students who were in the Special Education program. He was suspended, but allowed to return to his job. He has since decided to resign.
In July of 2012 there was a meeting that took place at Oxford Area High School, which is a public school in Pennsylvania. The meeting included principal David Madden, a student, and the student’s mother. The meeting also included Lisa Lightner, who is from the Arc of Chester County.
During this meeting, principal David Madden made a text on his phone about the student who was at the meeting. Lisa Lightner was seated next to David Madden, so she could see that the text included an obscenity and referred to the student as a “manipulator”.
To make a long story short, this led to an investigation. Arc of Chester County requested the student’s records as well as the records of other Special Education students from the school that David Madden worked at. The information in the records, and in texts and emails made by David Madden, showed that he has made several inappropriate comments about students who are in Special Education. One quote reads:
“Special ed… the guilty people have more rights than the innocents. Amazing world we live in and equally amazing that people are afraid of lawsuits. I say bring them on.”
Arc of Chester County filed four grievances with the Pennsylvania Department of Education against Madden in February of 2012. He was suspended in March of 2012. In July of 2012, the school board voted 6 – 3 to reinstate David Madden as principal.
Madden had been stripped of his Special Education duties and was no longer allowed to interact with students who were part of the Special Education program. The school board required Madden to undergo a psychiatric evaluation, and to be tested for drugs. When the new school year started, David Madden was right back in the school, as principal.
This decision outraged many parents. As a result of public outcry, David Madden has resigned as principal at Oxford Area High School. His resignation was announced at a school board meeting, and people cheered. The school board accepted the resignation in a vote of 8 – 1. His last day will be June 30, 2013. It appears he will finish this current school year and then resign.
Image by Richard Rutter on Flickr