Kiski Area High School principal claims retaliation
The principal of Kiski Area High School claims his efforts to make the district adhere to its policies has resulted in retaliation by Superintendent John Meighan and the school board.
Principal William F. McClarnon, who is on medical leave, said in a letter to Kiski Area School Board President Gary Haag that he is being wrongly blamed for his efforts in two incidents:
• The district's failure to provide its state-mandated duty to teach supplemental reading at Cardinal Maida Academy, a parochial school in Vandergrift. The state Department of Education ruled that Kiski Area ignored its duty to provide the reading classes.
Cardinal Maida's principal, Karen McClarnon, is William McClarnon's wife. In previously published reports about the issue, Karen McClarnon was identified as the person who filed the complaint.
• Possible policy violations by the high school's girls basketball coaches during a road trip to a tournament in Hollidaysburg. McClarnon believes the administration didn't pursue a proper investigation of the matter.
McClarnon is considering legal action against the district and the school board under the state's Whistleblower Law.
The Valley News Dispatch obtained a copy of the letter, written by Pittsburgh attorney James W. Carroll Jr., whom McClarnon has retained, to district officials and the school board.
In the letter dated March 6, Carroll said he conducted preliminary investigation into McClarnon's claims.
"I have concluded that Mr. McClarnon has been discriminated and retaliated against in violation of The Whistleblower Law ...," he wrote.
Copies of the letter were sent to Kiski Area Superintendent John Meighan, Kiski Area Solicitor Carl Beard and members of the school board.
Calls were made to Meighan, Beard and school board President Gary Haag by the Valley News Dispatch. Only Beard responded.
Officials announced at the start of last night's school board meeting that they would not discuss personnel or real estate matters publicly at the meeting. They did not mention any issues specifically.
"The district does not discuss personnel issues or legal issues," Beard said in a phone interview earlier this week, when asked about McClarnon or his claims. "However, as to any complaint that any employee has been treated adversely for being a whistleblower, it is completely unfounded. It is completely without merit."
Beard said if McClarnon and his attorney provided a signed waiver, district officials would be willing to discuss the allegations.
Carroll's letter states that on Sept. 16, 2008, William McClarnon filed a complaint with the state Department of Education against Kiski Area's Title I reading specialist because she was not performing her duties. The Department of Education investigated the complaint and subsequently ordered Kiski Area to correct the situation.
The second incident — regarding the girls' basketball team trip to Hollidaysburg on Dec. 18-20 — has not been made public. The letter states that in January, McClarnon investigated a complaint about the trip and issued a report on it to Meighan on Jan. 29. Meighan's daughter is a member of the team and was on the trip.
Carroll said that on Jan. 13, Athletic Director Ryan Berberich informed Meighan of the incident involving possible violations of district policy. He said McClarnon did not become aware of it until Jan. 20, one week later.
"It was actually known in the school district before that, but it only came to (McClarnon) later in the game and he was very concerned about that," Carroll said. "He was very concerned that it was not investigated as soon as it was received by the athletic director, and that the superintendent did not seem very interested in conducting a thorough investigation.
"Mr. McClarnon was reprimanded for conducting a broader investigation than the one the superintendent requested," Carroll said. "(Meighan) was very specific in saying, 'I want you to talk to this person first and this person second.'"
Carroll said that level of supervision from a superintendent to a principal seems odd.
Carroll said McClarnon's actions in both instances involved reports of wrongdoing as defined by the Whistleblower Law.
"Solely as a result of these reports by Mr. McClarnon, he has been adversely treated by administrators of the district," including the Feb. 4 reprimand from Meighan, Carroll's letter said.
He wrote that McClarnon is not ready to accept "these clear violations of his rights under Pennsylvania law." Carroll said McClarnon authorized him to provide the school district with "a limited opportunity to discuss and attempt to resolve these serious matters prior to taking further action."
He set a deadline of seven days, which would fall on Friday, for the district to contact him and seek such a discussion.
"We're still fairly early in the process," Carroll said.
Carroll said that McClarnon's concern is that "what's going on in the school district is being handled properly."
Carroll said his client "feels that things that needed to be investigated weren't being investigated."
He said that parents would want to be assured that "the matters being raised were being handled, and handled appropriately."
McClarnon's lawyer confirmed that he had been taken by ambulance from the school a few weeks ago with concerns of a heart problem. Carroll said that proved not to be the case, but did not specify a cause.
"The situation has been very stressful," Carroll said. He said he is fairly certain that McClarnon was stricken during or after a meeting related to his reprimand.
Carroll said that he didn't know if McClarnon's doctor had cleared him to return to work, but expects that to happen soon.
"He wants to do what he was hired to do," Carroll said.
Prior to coming to Kiski Area, McClarnon was a principal in the Deer Lakes School District.
Assistant City Editor Dave Williams contributed to this report.
