Schools

Dallas Dance Tweets After Release From Jail

Former Baltimore County Public Schools Superintendent Dallas Dance asked people to use him as an example.

Former Baltimore County Public Schools Superintendent S. Dallas Dance wasted no time Monday in taking to Twitter when he was released from jail. Dance was imprisoned for four months after pleading guilty to perjury.

Over the course of a four-message tweet, Dance issued an apology to the students and others he impacted.

"I awake today ready to begin a new chapter in the book of life. Just like any great book, all chapters build on each other to form a compelling narrative. It is important and it is my wish to reflect very briefly on the prior chapter in my life before steadfastly and humbly moving forward," Dance tweeted.

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"Over the past year, much growth and reflection has occurred, and before I step into this new chapter, I wish to deeply and sincerely apologize to any persons whom my past actions may have impacted," Dance wrote.

Charges were brought against Dance in January related to financial disclosure statements in which he said he had not received pay other than from the school system; however, he owned a consulting company and received thousands of dollars from companies that did business with Baltimore County Public Schools.

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The financial disclosure statements in question were submitted to Baltimore County Public Schools related to his income in 2012, 2013 and 2015, according to the Office of the State Prosecutor.

"In life, whether we are winning or losing, we have to shake off the past and keep moving forward focusing on the task ahead. To the hundreds of thousands of students and people I have impacted and will continue to impact through leadership, service, and acts of kindness, I apologize the most but I ask that you use me to recognize that humility, grace, and acceptance of responsibility are key ingredients to living your best life," Dance wrote. "We all fall down, but what sets us apart are the greater works we do upon getting up."

Dance was sentenced to five years in prison with all but six months suspended. However, he only served four months in Virginia.

Dance was released Monday from Henrico County Jail in Henrico, Virginia, where he was allowed to serve his time to be closer to his family, according to WJZ.

State guidelines mandate he must serve 25 percent of his sentence, The Baltimore Sun reported. That would have been about six weeks.

During his four months in jail, Dance was on work release and was employed by a Virginia-based health care provider as a program developer, The Baltimore Sun reported.

Now he will be on probation for two years and must complete 700 hours of community service.

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Photo courtesy of Baltimore County Public Schools.

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