3 Montville Administrators Put On Leave In HS 'Fight Club' Case

MONTVILLE, CT — The Montville Public Schools Superintendent, the High School's Principal and Assistant Principal embroiled in the school's "fight club" scandal have been placed on leave pending an investigation into their actions, Assistant Superintendent Laurie Pallin announced Thursday.

In a letter to parents and the community on the district's website, Pallin refers to Superintendent Brian C. Levesque; Montville High School Principal Jeffrey S. Theodoss; and assistant principal Tatiana Patten as "highly respected leaders" in the district. She also says that the actions of the fired substitute teacher Ryan A. Fish who ran the fight club, where students fought each other in a closed classroom, were "unsafe and unprofessional" and "egregious."

The three administrators surrendered to state police Thursday and were arrested each on a charge of failure for a mandated reporter to report abuse. State police accuse them of "being aware of, and having firsthand knowledge of" the fight club.

"As a district, we must and we will rebuild and restore your trust by ensuring all of our students are guaranteed a safe and engaging learning environment every day," wrote Pallin in the letter. "You deserve to know that your students are attending excellent schools and receiving a world-class education in a safe environment, and we expect nothing less."

The Montville Board of Education held a special meeting Thursday about the case but moved into executive session for the discussion, reports The Day. No decisions were reached after the executive session.

Image of Montville letter via the school district's website

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