| Educator Dr. Gene Rizzo, who was hired as the principal of Arnoldsburg Elementary School in 2005, is still facing problems with parents at a public school district in Apollo Pennsylvania.
The award-winning educator is apparently being given a chance.
A group of Arnoldsburg School parents created a well-spring of opposition to Dr. Rizzo's hiring, venting their concerns at board and public meetings. He withdrew his application.
Calhoun parents were upset over an incident Rizzo had with a former girlfiend, after which he was sentenced to 30-days in jail, with a requirement to attend anger management classes.
School officials in Apollo PA have asked the public to give Dr. Rizzo a chance, saying they are satisfied with "his version" of the problem.
Still, officials got an earful from parents who discovered the district's new elementary school principal has a criminal past. A backround check by officials did not turn up his conviction.
"We'd really just like to evaluate him on his performance and I think he will be a great performer," said school board president Greg Primm, "If people can see past this, I know he probably could do a lot of good things at our elementary school."
Court records show Rizzo was sentenced to a month in jail and two years probation after a secretary at a Calvert County, Maryland school (where Rizzo was principal) accused him of entering her home and confronting her in the shower, where she was bathing with her new boyfriend.
News accounts in Apollo PA reported "Rizzo subsequently was hired as an elementary school principal in Arnoldsburg, WV, last August. His arrival at the school created an uproar among parents who were concerned that Rizzo's criminal history made him unfit to work with children."
"I think he's really eager to do a good job for the district," said board president Primm. "We'd like to give him that opportunity, but he knows we're watching."
See also ... DR. RIZZO LEAVES AS MEETING FLARES - Educator Asked To Move On
| 
