State inquiry justified, but tardy

Opinion

December 17, 2009

Anonymous The Goshen News Thu Dec 17, 2009, 08:57 AM EST

This past summer Amy Weidner was hired by the Diocese of Fort Wayne South Bend as the new principal of St. John the Evangelist Catholic School here in Goshen. Since then Weidner has been leading the school and diocese officials say they are comfortable with their decision to hire her.

It was nearly two years ago – February 2008 – when Weidner, then an assistant principal at Bremen Elementary School, was fired by the board of trustees of Bremen Public Schools for “immorality” after she admitted to writing a bogus letter to her building principal regarding a child whose parents were attempting to obtain additional services for that child.

According to school corporation documents, Weidner had her contract terminated for violating State Building Level Administrator Standard number five: Acting with integrity and fairness and in an ethical manner. The incident was well chronicled by local media at the time. Based on the evidence documented in their internal investigation, it certainly seems Bremen trustees responded reasonably and appropriately.

Now, roughly five months into Weidner’s new job, the Indiana Department of Education has decided to investigate her. A spokesman for the IDOE said there is no time table for the ongoing investigation. Since Weidner’s firing, she has continued to hold valid Indiana teaching and administrator licenses. The IDOE has the authority to either suspend or revoke her license.

We agree that since Weidner was fired from her previous employer for violating state statute the IDOE should investigate the matter. But why now? Why not investigate immediately after the fact and reach a timely conclusion? It’s been nearly two years and Weidner deserves to know where she stands. Does she have a future in education or not? While justified, the IDOE is tardy in its inquiry. By now the situation should have been resolved one way or another. The process should have begun when Bremen trustees made their unanimous decision, not 22 months later when Weidner is trying to move on with life.

Certainly Weidner owes the diocese and the parents at St. John’s an explanation for what happened in Bremen. The diocese was willing to give Weidner a second chance and is sticking with her through the state’s investigation. If they believe in her, they should do just that. People make mistakes and, most of the time, deserve second chances. Weidner should have known by now if her second chance is for real.

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State inquiry justified, but tardy

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