The East Williston school board last Friday approved the district’s settlement with suspended Wheatley School teacher Matthew Haig, allowing him to return to the classroom on Thursday for the start of the school year.
The settlement involves Haig’s admitting to some of the charges against him and requires him to pay a $7,250 fine, but getting back to teaching was his “number one priority,” said Wes Berkowitz,a former Wheatley guidance counselor and one of Haig’s close friends
“I’m happy because I get to go back and do the thing I’ve loved to do for 30 years in that place, which is to teach kids,” Haig said.
Under the agreement, Haig admits to three of 10 specific charges of insubordination and conduct unbecoming a teacher, and “does not dispute the conduct alleged” in two others. He also admits to two of four charges of neglect of duty.
Three of the charges to which Haig admitted guilt relate to incidents in which Haig physically contacted students in his classroom after being told not to.
One stems from his deviation from lesson plans in class, and another from his failure to attend a Committee on Special Education meeting.
The agreement ends Haig’s four-month suspension with pay that started in April. He was not allowed on school grounds during that time except for the negotiation days in July and August.
Mark Kamberg, the East Williston school board president, said the fine and admissions of guilt are “an appropriate result of the disciplinary proceedings.”
“The board believes the agreement will enable the district to move forward and continue to work in the shared mission of providing students with a respectful, nurturing environment,” Kamberg said.
But Haig said he was admitting not to any wrongdoing but to behaviors that “have endeared me to my students” throughout his educational career.
“Do I find that behavior heinous, objectionable? No, because that’s what I’ve been doing — same lessons, same teacher, 30 years,” he said.
Haig and the school district agreed to the settlement’s terms after a second full day of negotiations on Aug. 10.
That made unnecessary the disciplinary hearings in which the district was seeking Haig’s termination, and which he requested be open to the public.
The agreement closes a case that has caused an outcry among Wheatley students, parents and alumni, many of whom say the school has shifted from the collaborative educational philosophy they refer to as the “Wheatley Way” to a more impersonal, top-down approach.
They have charged school administrators targeted Haig because he embodies the older approach with his boisterous, unconventional teaching style and extreme dedication to his students.
Haig’s supporters turned out by the dozens on negotiation days, and about 500 came to the May meeting where the school board voted to bring charges against him. A Facebook group backing him has more than 2,100 members, and an online fundraiser on his behalf collected more than $12,300.
Jesse Manor, one of Haig’s most ardent allies, said a core group of supporters will continue to advocate for better transparency in the district and will try to change the makeup of the school board in upcoming elections.
Haig’s return to the classroom may also “embolden” other teachers “to speak up more and to not be afraid, and not cowering to the administration whenever they make a demand on them,” Berkowitz said.
Kamberg said he anticipates the school year will proceed “as normal,” and said he has seen no such shift at Wheatley.
“I believe the Wheatley Way is the work of incredibly committed teachers and administrators, the countless hours of hard work from our students, the love from families and the support of our community,” Kamberg said. “All of that works together to have each of our students have astounding success, and to me that is truly the Wheatley Way.”
Kamberg and district administrators have defended the district’s and school board’s transparency. The district is obligated to respond to all concerns brought to its attention, they say, and its disciplinary process protects teachers’ due process rights.
Sean Feeney, Wheatley’s principal, did not return a phone call or email seeking comment.
Another beloved, suspended Wheatley teacher, Christine Perinelli, will not be in the classroom for the start of the year.
Perinelli’s 90-day suspension without pay on charges stemming from text messages she exchanged with a student does not end until shortly after the start of the year, Kamberg said.
Perinelli had asked the district to alter her suspension so she could start teaching sooner, but Kamberg said the district was bound by the independent hearing officer’s decision in her disciplinary case and could not accommodate her request.
Stephen Romano contributed reporting.
