The president of the Bethel Park Federation of Teachers has been suspended without pay for the third time in two weeks. Leanne Dresmich, union president and a physical education teacher at Neil Armstrong Middle School, said Wednesday that she was ordered to begin a 10-day suspension today. The latest suspension is based on a charge that Dresmich entered Principal James Willison’s locked office, opened a confidential letter and removed another letter. Dresmich denied the charges and said she was accompanied into the office by Janet O’Rourke, assistant principal. Dresmich said she was informed of the suspension shortly after 5 p.m. yesterday. Also yesterday, union officials signed a ‘clean’ copy of a new contract, ending a strike threat and a dispute over allegations that changes were made to a contract reached last year. The union president served a two-day suspension Tuesday and yesterday for violating a district policy prohibiting cellular phones in district buildings. That came on the heels of a four-day suspension for allegedly breaching security by allowing a television crew into her building. She also was suspended for five days in October for an unspecified action for which other teachers have not been disciplined, according to the union. Dresmich said the union intends to file a grievance on all of the disciplinary actions. ‘There is no question that this is related to my union activity. I do something with the union, (district officials) do something the next day.’ District administrators have said the disciplinary actions ‘are in no way related’ to her union position or activities. ‘If an employee violates school district policy or the school code, it is every district’s responsibility to discipline that employee,’ said a district statement released last week.

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