Less than two years after he was first appointed to the job, Grover Middle School principal Brian Harris has left his position amid rumors circulating about an inappropriate rumor sent by Harris to school staff. He has been replaced temporarily by assistant superintendent Gerard Dalton, who will serve as acting principal for the remainder of the school year. The district is in the process of hiring a permanent replacement by the next academic year.
Dalton had been principal at Community Middle School before being promoted to the assistant superintendent level in 2013, the same year Harris was hired. Harris’ appointment was the culmination of a nearly year-long search after former Grover principal Dennis Lepold became the principal of High School South. John Bach came out of retirement to serve as interim principal at Grover before Harris’ appointment.
An E-mail from superintendent David Aderhold sent on the evening of May 4 informed parents of Harris’ departure: “I am writing to inform you that GMS Principal Brian Harris has resigned effective June 30, 2015. During the last two months of school, Gerard Dalton will serve as the interim/acting principal.”
Responding to a telephone message left at the school’s principal office, director of communications Gerri Hutner E-mailed a statement from Aderhold, which stated Harris resigned “for personal reasons.”
There are allegations that prior to his departure Harris sent an E-mail to school staff and the school board regarding warm weather dress codes, and attached to the E-mail was a song containing crude language derogatory towards women.
Reached by phone, Hutner declined to comment on the E-mail, noting that personnel matters are confidential, and only confirming that Harris “voluntarily resigned.”
Multiple staff members at Grover Middle School declined to comment, and when asked about the E-mail, WW-P School Board President Tony Fleres said he was unaware of such an E-mail before declining comment.
Harris, an East Windsor resident, previously worked in the Edison school district. He was assistant principal at John P. Stevens High School for five years and he taught math at Edison High School before that. Harris was also coached soccer and directed spring musicals.
In an example of the challenging situations a principal can face, one Grover parent told the News that in early 2014 Harris kept a student after school after the student told staff about the parent’s argument at home. In addition Harris filed a report to the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency. The student’s parents were outraged that they were not notified the student was being held off the school bus.
In the aftermath, the student’s father, Zul Kagawalla, has been indicted by Mercer County for harassing E-mails sent to David Aderhold, and he is being charged with fourth degree retaliation against a public servant.
Efforts to reach Harris were unsuccesful.
Harris’ departure was not publicly discussed at the May 12 school board meeting.
The meeting was dominated by an hour long ethics presentation by Jesse Adams of the New Jersey School Boards Association, as part of a mandated ethics class for both board members and administrators.
The board unanimously voted 8-0 to approve the annual contract renewal list for district personnel. Board member Isaac Cheng was absent.
At the April 28 meeting, dozens of students voiced support for Nishan Patel, an art teacher at High School North whose contract was not renewed. Patel’s non-renewal was not discussed at the meeting, and the board has not received any appeal.
Before the board voted on the personnel agenda, board member Yingchao Zhang, who is serving his first year on the board, mentioned the renewal process decided by the district administration.
“I do want to learn more about the procedure and process for teacher evaluation and renewal,” Zhang said.
Because of the sudden departure of Harris the list of reappointments included two references of Gerard Dalton. In addition to being appointed as acting principal at Grover, he was also reappointed as assistant superintendent for pupil services and planning, with a tenure date set for July 2.
The board also approved previously introduced policies on gifted and talented (G&T) students and board member e-communications.
Objective and subjective measures, such as standardized test scores, demonstrated creative or intellectual ability, and displays of self-motivation, will be the criteria used to identify G&T students. The electronic communications policy states that E-mails to board members or district staff, unless specifically excluded, are subject to public access.
In other news the board approved contracts with Gabe Sganga Inc. for replacement of rooftop air handlers at Community Middle School for $1,699,400; with Helios Construction, Inc. for interior renovations at Town Center School for $167,000; and with J.H. Williams Enterprises, Inc. for elevator refurbishment at South for $157,000.
Karen Howard Predale, an instructor at Village Elementary who has worked in the district for 18 years, will retire at the end of the school year.
#b#High school turf field update.#/b# The synthetic turf fields at High School North and South were installed in the summer of 2007, and according to a former executive with the company that supplied and installed the fields, both fields use FieldTurf fiber that in some cases is fail prematurely.
Flanagan’s, based in Hillsborough, was contracted to install the turf fields in 2007. An employee at Flanagan’s confirmed the supplier was FieldTurf, which is manufactured by Tarkett Inc.
Responding to a message left for director of athletics Jean Marie Seal, school district communications director Gerri Hutner says the turf fields at North and South are certified to be in good condition. Both fields are maintained by LandTek.
FieldTurf warranties usually last eight years, though numerous press reports describe complaints that artificial turf fields in the U.S. are not lasting as long as advertised.
