The following letter was sent from Del. Rick Impallaria to Harford County Public Schools Superintendent Robert Tomback. A copy was provided to The Dagger:
Robert M. Tomback, Ph.D., Superintendent
Harford County Public Schools
102 South Hickory Avenue
Bel Air, Maryland 21014
Dear Dr. Tomback:
I have reviewed the Havre de Grace HS drama therapy tape, and I find very little positive to say about it. It is even difficult to talk about what occurred on stage without using language which is both offensive and improper in any setting, school or otherwise.
In addition to viewing what was on stage, I also paid attention to the reaction of the students both to the skits being acted and to explanations of what they were about to see.
I found nothing improper in the short restaurant scenes between the longer skits, and my comments do not refer to them.
In the following letter dated January 21, 2010, Havre de Grace High School Principal Patricia Walling invites parents to see a video of the controversial production known as Drama Therapy and outlines a four-point action plan being implemented for future productions.
Drama Therapy is a changing series of short plays which have been presented by students at Havre de Grace High since 2007. The plays often deal with serious topics including incest, abortion, teen suicide, recovered memory and substance abuse.
Curiously, an envelope containing Principal Walling’s letter to the parents and guardians of Havre de Grace High School students shows neither a return address nor any other indication that the letter was sent from the school. The screening of Drama Therapy, planned for Wednesday, January 27, at 7 p.m. in the school auditorium, was not noted on the calendar posted on the school’s web site as of Sunday, January 24.
Havre de Grace High School has a program called Drama Therapy that was developed with good intentions and is promoted by Harford County Public Schools. So why are parents having such a hard time getting access to the content?
Drama Therapy takes the form of short plays addressing serious issues like incest, teen suicide, sexual abuse, recovered memories and substance abuse. The plays are performed by Havre de Grace HS students and some of the plays are written by the school’s students or alumni. The plays have been presented to students during the school day and to the public in an evening performance.
According to the HCPS newspaper, Harford Schools, Drama Therapy was jointly developed by Havre de Grace HS teachers and school counselors. Clearly, Drama Therapy was planned to be more than entertainment.
Co-developer and drama teacher Mark Cummins wrote in the program for this year’s performance that he sought help ...Continue Reading
Bel Air, MD – July 28,2009 – A former teacher at C. Milton Wright High School filed suit today in Harford County Circuit Court against principal Marlene Molter. In the four-count complaint, teacher John Anker charges Molter with Negligence, Interference with Contract, Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress, and Defamation regarding the circumstances of his dismissal at the end of the 08-09 school year.
According to the complaint and Anker’s attorney, Lawrence P. Pinno, Jr., Molter acted in an arbitrary, capricious, and malicious manner to ensure that Anker’s non-tenured contract would not be renewed, regardless of his actual performance. “When a principal has to lie several times to her superior during an evaluation conference, that should signal exactly what her intent was,” says Pinno. “Mr. Anker approached me over a year ago with the concern that, regardless of his performance, she was going to do what she could to ensure his contract ...Continue Reading
School is out for the summer but that’s not all teachers have to smile about, thanks to a victory in a precedent-setting case involving Harford County Public Schools, freedom of speech and Chris Battaglia.
Battaglia is known as the former assistant principal who ran afoul of Superintendent Jacqueline C. Haas after he let it slip he was being transferred from C. Milton Wright High School and his supporters turned out at a Board of Education meeting to protest the move. Not only was Battaglia admired by parents and students, prior to the public outcry he was also highly regarded by his employer.
