Parents and community members meet in Elbridge over school district concerns
Hundreds of concerned parents and citizens in the Jordan-Elbridge school district met to gather their thoughts after another tumultuous week.
On Monday, J-E high school principal David Zehner was suspended for undisclosed reasons. He spoke Sunday night at the meeting in the Elbridge fire house, explaining why he thought he was suspended.
He says it has to do with a lawsuit he filed over the appointment of an interim superintendent, Susan Gorton.
"I did this because I feel they violated the open meeting law, by appointing Mrs.. Gorton as interim superintendent, without holding a board meeting with her on the agenda," Zehner said.
Zehner says there will be a hearing on the case Wednesday at 10 A.M. in the Onondaga County Courthouse.
Zehner's suspension is just the latest in a long line of past and future turnover in the district.
Assistant superintendent for business and finance, Bill Hamilton, was suspended in July and current superintendent Marilyn Dominick is retiring in November.
It's an upsetting time for parents and students.
Kris Humphrey's daughter is a senior at J-E high school.
"This is not want you want for your daughter, my last child in school, to go through in their senior year," Humphrey says.
J-E senior Kathryn Alonso-Bergevin passed out ribbons at the meeting in support of Principal Zehner. She says his suspension has negatively effected the students.
"There are students that just didn't want to be there, and didn't want to go to Jordan-Elbridge anymore."
Sunday night's meeting generated about 25 question that parents and community members will take to the next school board meeting on October 6th.
