The principal and vice principal at Stamford High School have been arrested for failing to report knowledge that a student and a teacher were involved in an inappropriate relationship.
Principal Donna Valentine, 62, and Vice Principal Roth Nordin, 59, were charged with failure to report.
As the two are on administrative leave while the case is investigated, Rodney Bass will step up and act as the interim principal.
The district's superintendent, Dr. Winifred Hamilton, made a statement on the incident:
The safety and security of our students is, and always will be, our top priority. An arrest of this nature is unprecedented in our district, and until all of the facts are known, the administrators in question will be placed on administrative leave without prejudice, as is the standard procedure when such allegations are made. Once all the facts are known, we will take the opportunity to look closely at our practices and training to determine whether we should make changes in our processes going forward.
The Stamford Police Department's juvenile division arrested Danielle Watkins, a 32-year-old teacher, for having a sexual relationship with an 18-year-old student and supplying marijuana to another student. During the investigation it was discovered that multiple sources made the allegations to the administration as early as December 2013. The school investigated, but the Department of Children and Families was never notified.
