The Blog has just learned that Mills Lawn School Principal Christine Hatton resigned suddenly on Friday for "personal reasons." No further information was forthcoming from the Board of Education office this afternoon other than that Administrative Assistant Susan Griffith said the search for an interim principal will start immediately and they hope to have someone in place in a few days. It may not necessarily be someone internal, Griffith said, but it will most likely be someone who is already familiar with the workings at MLS.
In its Sept. 24 edition, the Yellow Springs News reported that MLS had dropped in ranking from "excellent" to effective" on the state report card. One factor in the lower ranking, the article stated, was fifth grade Social Studies and Math scores on the Ohio Achievement Test last year. According to the News, Hatton attributed the small size of the class being impacted by a few students as affecting the statistics. She said the school was working to address the problem.
There is a rumor floating around that the MLS staff will be meeting about the resignation this afternoon at 3:00.
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4 comments:
Nice catch on Hatton's resignation.
Is it honest journalism to associate the low test scores to her decision to leave? It creates the impression that the scores are the reason. If that's true, shouldn't you say so right up front? As it is, you've cast doubt on her performance without justification. Sloppy at best.
The implication is not that the low scores were her fault, but that she resigned over the issue. The timing and the suddenness of it certainly lead to that conclusion, especially when no other information is forthcoming. However, the readers are free to make that association or not.
My suspicion, based entirely on nothing, is that the test scores are not adequate reason for her to resign. She and the teachers were actively working to correct that problem.
Among the parents who have or have had children at MLS (and I am one), there is divided feelings towards Ms. Hatton. There are a significant number who found her approach to the kids to be too abrasive and harsh. I am not one of those parents; I appreciated Ms. Hatton. However, there were complaints from parents.gem
As a former school staff member, I know that Dr. Armocida and she did not get along, so some of us saw this coming. I liked her, but I know her style was not everyone's and I also know that once you got on her "bad side" it was hard to do anything "right."
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