A lawyer for Stamford High School principal Donna Valentine says she will fight a recommendation that she be fired.
Valentine served as principal when police say English teacher Danielle Watkins had sex with one of her students and provided him and another boy with marijuana. Watkins is now serving a five-year prison sentence.
Superintendent Winifred Hamilton recommended Valentine's dismissal, accusing her of failing to report suspicions about Watkins to state officials and police. Hamilton also is moving to terminate Assistant Principal Roth Nordin. Both were suspended.
Attorney Mark Sherman tells The Advocate newspaper that Valentine will request a hearing by an impartial arbitrator, who would make a recommendation on her employment to the Board of Education. If the board votes to fire Valentine, she can appeal the decision in state Superior Court.
Valentine pleaded not guilty Oct. 2 to criminal charges of failing to alert authorities.
The school system is actively searching for a new high school principal, according to Hamilton.
A second assistant principal, Angela Thomas-Graves, is also facing termination, according to Hamilton. Thomas-Graves was briefly suspended when the allegations first came out but returned to work after a week.
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Assistant superintendent Michael Fernandes has offered to resign, according to an announcement posted on the Stamford Public Schools website last week. He is the most senior school official involved in the case.
Stephen Falcone, executive director of human resources for Stamford Public Schools, has been suspended for one month. Head of security Curtis Tinnin, security guard James Jordan and high school social worker James Cooney have received letters of warning, the superintendent said.
