Belle Vernon Area School District hires Dr. Timothy Glasspool as superintendent despite parents' concerns about his past
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A new superintendent has been hired to lead the Belle Vernon Area School District, but many see the hire as controversial.
On Tuesday evening, the district board voted to hire Dr. Timothy Glasspool as the new superintendent.
It was a very heated meeting as several people voiced their opposition and concerns about his time in the same role with the Plum Borough School District.
Glasspool's approval came with an 8-1 vote, with board members citing his over 20 years of experience in education.
While he was the superintendent at Plum, there was a teacher-student sex scandal in the district in 2015. Three teachers pleaded guilty to having inappropriate relationships with students. While no criminal charges were brought against Glasspool, a grand jury blamed him and his administration for passively allowing years of inappropriate conduct between teachers and female students. He resigned in 2017.
He's currently the superintendent of the Penncrest School District in Crawford County.
Belle Vernon school board members said they conducted a thorough superintendent search that included several rounds of interviews.
Multiple community members and parents spoke out during the meeting, saying they don't agree with the hiring. One person asked board members how the public can trust Glasspool with their children.
There were also questions about why the public didn't get a chance to meet with Glasspool and ask questions themselves.
"Looking back, I definitely would have done things more differently," Glasspool said during the meeting. "I would have interacted with the families and communities differently. I would have spoken more cleanly. I would have interacted with the media a lot different."
The school board said that Glasspool was open with them about his time at Plum. They also said former Plum employees reached out to support Glasspool.
Board members said they believe he is the right person to lead the Belle Vernon Area District moving forward. Despite the board's support, parents didn't waver. They say it comes down to morals and they won't ever trust Glasspool around their children.
"We were kind of outraged because I have an 8-year-old in Belle Vernon school and it makes me very uncomfortable knowing somebody could do what he did and now be in my kid's school district," said parent Davin Coulson.
Glasspool will officially become the superintendent on Oct. 2 with a contract for four school years worth a salary of $155,000 per year.
