A Pennsylvania high school principal who reportedly called a disabled student a “psychopath” and joked that a Latino teen was destined to be a gardener has lost his job.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Oxford Area School District board members voted 8-1 on Thursday to accept the resignation of David C. Madden, who in e-mails not only belittled students but seemingly threatened the district’s superintendent.
Madden's resignation takes effect June 30.
"We're thrilled," said Chrissie Shelly, a parent who complained to state education authorities that Madden treated her son, who has cystic fibrosis, unfairly because of his illness. "We're sad to see a man's career gone, but we're thrilled for the children of Oxford and their futures."
The small, rural district erupted into controversy when some of Madden's emails were first made public in March. Despite growing calls for Madden to lose his job, the school board initially suspended him for four months instead.
The school's director of special education, Jenny LeSage, quit last spring rather than work for Madden, who has headed Oxford Area High School since 2005.
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