Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Principal Not Coming Back by Erin Einhorn - NY Daily News

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The Queens principal accused of corporal punishment and threatening a teacher will not return to the same school, Chancellor Joel Klein told the Daily News Tuesday.

Principal Anthony Aldorasi was removed from Astoria's Intermediate School 141 after the complaints were filed last year, and officials sought to fire him from his $136,745 post.

An arbitrator ruled last week that he deserved a less severe punishment - a $6,000 fine and a 10-day unpaid suspension - and ordered school officials to find him a job in the same district, No. 30.

"He's not going back to 141," Klein told The News, adding that he did not yet know where Aldorasi would be reassigned or if he would be offered a new deal instead. "We have to review our options."

Parents and teachers at IS 141 were planning a protest this week against Aldorasi's potential return.

Among other issues, they were concerned about students who had testified against him in his arbitration hearing.

"I don't think it would be the right decision to send him back into the school that he betrayed," said parent association treasurer Irene Diakogeorgios, who has two sons at the school.

An IS 141 teacher who had butted heads with Aldorasi said he was relieved he wouldn't be back.

"I would be angry if he came back to 141, because we've all seen an unbelievable transition from not wanting to come to work, to looking forward to coming to work on a Monday," said the teacher, who requested anonymity.

Aldorasi declined to comment.

eeinhorn@nydailynews.com