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.

Text Only

Opinion

Stahly has served his community well
There are moments that cause us to say “oh, no,” and “outstanding” nearly in the same breath. That’s how we felt recently when Bruce Stahly announced that he plans to retire as superintendent of Goshen Community Schools in June. We said “oh, no,” because we know how important Stahly has been to the school corporation for the past 13 years. And we said “outstanding,” because we know how much he deserves this after a job well done.
Stahly came to Goshen in 1999 as deputy superintendent. He had worked previously as the assistant superintendent of finance for the South Bend Community School Corp. In July 2002 Stahly was promoted to superintendent of Goshen’s schools. That was a great decision by school trustees.

February 3, 2012
Digital technology good for education
Things have changed in education and today has been set aside to encourage educators to embrace those changes.

February 1, 2012
Tommy W. Woodworth
January 31, 2012
Behavior of teens must improve during First Fridays
Goshen’s downtown has a success story, and the tale gets told every month.

January 28, 2012
Solar panels should have limited placement in cities
Goshen resident Marvin Bartel has won approval for his solar array on a vacant lot along College Avenue, which is something we have mixed feelings about.

January 26, 2012
Other nations are catching up to us
When it comes to making things and being innovative, the United States is tops in the world, right? Well, a new study reports that long-held belief remains true, but our grasp on that ranking is being eroded quickly by advances made in Asian countries.

January 25, 2012
Ninth Street Corridor in need of most upgrades
This past Thursday, Goshen city officials, along with Ian Colgan of Development Concepts Inc., unveiled various a la carte options to improve the narrow 14-block stretch between Jefferson Street and College Avenue known as the Ninth Street Corridor.

January 22, 2012 1 Photo
These ‘losers’ are winners in our book
Roy and Christine Pickler decided to go public. Locally? Sure. Regionally? Yes, but think bigger — think personal reality meets reality TV.

January 21, 2012
Keep the refund and pay the debt
The automatic tax refund that Hoosiers will receive this summer due to increasing state revenues is a short-sighted move that will leave the state with outstanding debt that is accruing interest.

January 20, 2012
Jackie Jerlecki’s run a high mark for our community
Miss Indiana Jackie Jerlecki of Goshen competed last week in the prestigious Miss America Scholarship Pageant in Las Vegas. She was one of 53 contestants.

January 18, 2012 1 Photo
More Opinion Headlines

Gov. Mitch Daniels signed the right-to-work bill into law Feb. 1, allowing Indiana workers to opt out of paying mandatory union dues at union shops. What effect do you feel the new law will have on Indiana in the future?

Opinion

Search Results

State inquiry justified, but tardy

Gov. Mitch Daniels signed the right-to-work bill into law Feb. 1, allowing Indiana workers to opt out of paying mandatory union dues at union shops. What effect do you feel the new law will have on Indiana in the future?

Site Map