Future uncertain, McHugh to speak at graduation

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By Dan King

Despite a whirlwind of rumors Thursday and Friday, high school Principal Kelly McHugh will be allowed to speak at Kelly McHughtomorrow night’s graduation, but her future with the district remains uncertain.

When the rumors that McHugh wouldn’t be allowed at graduation began surfacing, the Board of Education immediately scheduled a special meeting for Friday.

Upon returning from a closed-door session with attorney Jay Girvin, board president Virginia Rivette stated: “The high school principal will participate in graduation.”

Rivette opened the meeting with a brief statement, assuring the community that all board decisions were made with the community in mind and that she by no means meant to distract the seniors from their graduation.

After Rivette’s remarks, the board adjourned to executive session to discuss “the medical, financial, credit or employment history of a particular person or corporation, or matters leading to the appointment, employment, promotion, demotion, discipline, suspension, dismissal or removal of a particular person or corporation.”

Rumors had surfaced last week that Rivette met with interim school superintendent Bill Scott, and that Rivette while at the school told McHugh she couldn’t participate in graduation. Rivette was quick to dispute those claims.

“I swear to God, on my children’s life, that I never ever told Kelly McHugh that she couldn’t participate in graduation,” Rivette said after the meeting.

In addition to rumors that McHugh wouldn’t be allowed to participate in graduation, rumors had surfaced that the board was beginning the process of removing tenure from either McHugh or teachers involved in the state investigation, a process known in education jargon as a 3020a.

“To the best of my knowledge the 3020a process has not been started,” Rivette said. “You would have to follow up with Mr. Scott on that.”

Scott said of the potential 3020a, “At this point I legally can’t comment. I may know the answer, but I can’t legally disclose it, I’m sorry.”

It was believed that the removal of tenure would take place as a result of the state Education Department’s investigation into Common Core testing invalidities in ELA and allegedly math as well.

On Thursday, a rumor began that McHugh was going to be escorted from the school that afternoon, which did not come to fruition.

Three school sources also said that two or three teachers could potentially have certifications revoked as a part of the state’s investigation. However, nothing has come from that yet either.

Those rumors sparked the Whitehall Teachers’ Association to hold two different union meetings on Thursday. Then the faculty held a meeting with Scott on Monday morning.

One source in the meetings concluded that the two union meetings left teachers saying, “There’s nothing we can do, it’s out of our hands.”

McHugh was not available to comment on any of the rumors.