Start High School's principal is facing a three-day suspension without pay as a result of an investigation into an altercation that, according to witnesses, involved a teacher putting a student in a chokehold after he used a bat to push her out of a classroom.
The suspension for Principal Edward Perozek, approved Tuesday night by Toledo Public Schools board members, will start Wednesday.
Records suggest Start High School administrators knew a physical altercation occurred Oct. 12 between a 16-year-old student and teacher Kenneth Crosley, but delayed opening an official investigation for three weeks. Top TPS administrators also weren’t made aware of the incident.
Assistant Principal Kenneth Rosplohowski was suspended without pay effective Nov. 2, and returned to work Nov. 15.
Mr. Crosley has been suspended with pay while TPS investigators review allegations from the 16-year-old student who accused him of using a baseball bat to force her out of a classroom, twisted her fingers, and put her in a chokehold.
Some witnesses said a violent altercation did occur, while others deny Mr. Crosley assaulted the student.
The district released a written statement, but administrators declined to answer questions about the ongoing investigation.
“The safety of our students is the top priority of Toledo Public Schools,” the statement said. “All allegations are investigated, and appropriate disciplinary steps could be taken against a student, or staff member should the findings dictate that outcome.”
The student, according to the police report, said Mr. Crosley yelled at her when she entered his classroom to purchase a homecoming ticket. He then used a bat to push her out the classroom, she said in the report.
While in the hallway, the student said, Mr. Crosley “grabbed her fingers back” and put her in a “chokehold,” the report states.
Mr. Crosley offered a different version of events. He told the school resource officer the student entered his classroom shouting and cursing at him. He said he asked the student to leave his room and, when she refused, he picked up a bat and “nudged” her out of the room.
Once in the hallway, Mr. Crosley said, the student “took an offensive position” as if she were preparing to swing at him, according to the report. He told police he then “gained control” of the student until school security and the assistant principal arrived.
TPS has continued to deny The Blade access to the video surveillance footage, saying the decision is based on its attorney’s recommendation.
Contact Jay Skebba at: jskebba@theblade.com, 419-376-9414, or on Twitter @JaySkebbaBlade.
Contact Javonte Anderson at: janderson@theblade.com or 419-724-6065 or on Twitter @JavonteA.
First Published November 27, 2018, 4:57 p.m.
