Imagine West Gilbert Charter School Fires Six Teachers

GILBERT, AZ – The Imagine West Gilbert charter school fired six teachers because of an incident that happened on the last day of school before winter break. Principal Jon Gentile let parents know of the news in a letter home.

"I want to make you aware of an incident that occurred the last day of school prior to Winter Break," Gentile wrote. "Late in the day on December 21st, we became aware of an incident involving six of our staff members.

"This incident took place on school property during school hours. "

Gentile told parents that because of confidentiality rules, he can't go into detail about what happened. All he can say is that the incident was "serious in nature."

He says that the teachers were placed on leave while the incident was investigated. Based on the results of the investigation, the decision was made to fire the teachers.

"I know this is sad news for our families, students, and staff," Gentile writes. "It is painful for me as well."

In his letter, Gentile says that that the school has already made some changes and already hired some new teachers.

READ THE LETTER SENT TO PARENTS:

Dear IWG Families,

I want to make you aware of an incident that occurred the last day of school prior to Winter Break. Please carefully read this letter so you will have factually accurate information.

Late in the day on December 21st, we became aware of an incident involving six of our staff members. This incident took place on school property during school hours. Due to employment confidentiality laws, I am not able to disclose the specifics of the incident, only that it was serious in nature. In accordance with our policies, we placed the individuals on administrative leave while conducting an investigation.

As a result of that investigation, which demonstrated a clear violation of our employment handbook policies, we were faced with a difficult decision. I am saddened to inform you that Ms. Bettendorf, Ms. Wilson, Ms. Pearson, Ms. Kamm, Ms. Chappell, and Mr. Gordon will not be returning to their positions this semester.

I know this is sad news for our families, students, and staff. It is painful for me as well. While privacy laws do not allow me to give you details, I can assure you this was not a decision made lightly or hastily. But it was the only decision possible in order for our school to live out the culture of positive character and high expectations our staff members should model for our students. As always, be assured the decision was made with the best interest of our students in mind.

Although the incident in question was serious enough to warrant this action, it is important to also note the academic foundation these individuals fostered for their students this year. It is a foundation we will build upon in this new semester.

Parents, regardless of circumstances, our priority is to find the best qualified teachers for all students to continue the learning your child deserves and you expect. Given the timeliness of the holiday season, we are still finalizing some candidates and will make them known as soon as possible. In the meantime,
however, I am pleased to be able to communicate the following:

• Mrs. Kristin Dean is once again demonstrating her commitment to IWG and its students and families by shifting her focus and responsibilities to our SPED Classroom (grades 5-8). Given her recent role of instructional coach and SPED Coordinator, we are fortunate to have her expertise and knowledge in content, students’ needs and compliance.
• Ms. Angela Curtiss will join us in 4th grade and partner with Ms. Reiners. She brings with her multiple years of certified teaching experience in the classroom along with a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from ASU.
  
• Mrs. Danielle Ramirez will return to IWG with mutual excitement. She will join us in 1st grade and partner with Ms. Scarborough. Mrs. Ramirez brings with her multiple years of experience with the most recent being three years at IWG.

Please be assured that I will be working in partnership with our academic coach and our site leadership to support our not only new teachers, but all teachers to ensure continuity in maintaining academic goals and achievement within each classroom.

Should you have questions, please contact me directly. Because of the privacy rights of our teachers, any questions from parents or those within the school community should be directed to our school administration. We also ask that you are mindful of the impact your conversations or social media activity can have on this situation. We request that you always act in the best interests of our students and maintain their right to a stable and nurturing learning environment. We want our educators to maintain undivided attention on effective instruction in a nurturing, distraction-free learning environment.

Most respectfully,

Jon Gentile
Principal

Photo courtesy Imagine West Gilbert.