Somers School Board To Meet Following Assistant Principal Controversy

SOMERS, CT — The Somers Board of Education will meet Monday night, days after the district announced that a newly hired high school administrator would not be working at the school while officials review videos of his past sermons.

Aaron Geddis was hired this summer as an assistant principal at Somers High School. Videos that later surfaced online included comments about homosexuality, mental illness and people with special needs, according to NBC Connecticut.

In one of the sermons, Geddis said people who harm themselves do not have a mental illness but are possessed by a demon.

Superintendent Sam Galloway addressed the controversy in a message sent to Somers Public Schools families and staff.

Galloway said the district was aware of concerns raised by community members about a recently hired high school administrator. He did not identify Geddis by name in the statement.

“The videos that recently surfaced involving this individual were not known to me or the hiring committee at the time the employment offer was made,” Galloway wrote.

Galloway said the situation had generated “significant concern and strong emotions” throughout the school community.

“Most importantly, Somers Public Schools stands firmly in its commitment to inclusiveness, tolerance, acceptance, and respect,” Galloway wrote. “These are core values embedded in our policies and reflected in the daily work of our educators, administrators, and staff.”

Galloway said every student and staff member deserves to feel welcomed, respected and safe. He also said the district must protect the employee’s rights, privacy and due process.

The superintendent did not discuss any possible personnel action, saying the district does not comment on individual personnel matters.

NBC Connecticut reported that Geddis will not work at Somers High School while his employment status remains under discussion. Geddis did not respond to the station’s request for comment.

The district had introduced Geddis to the Board of Education during its Aug. 24 meeting. According to meeting records, Galloway said Geddis had previously worked as an English teacher, department head and Freshman Academy leader in Bloomfield Public Schools.

Galloway also told the board that he had known Geddis since his student-teaching experience and had watched his professional growth and leadership over the years.

The school board held a special meeting Wednesday and entered executive session with an attorney to discuss an employee’s First Amendment rights. The district did not publicly identify the employee discussed during the closed session.

The controversy is not listed as a separate item on Monday’s agenda. The board is scheduled to receive a superintendent’s update and will provide an opportunity for comments from residents, staff and students.

The executive session listed on Monday’s agenda concerns ratification of the Somers Administrators Association contract.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the Board of Education Chambers at 1 Vision Boulevard.

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