PA Principal Humiliates Innocent Child and Calls Her a Thief

In Elizabeth, PA, angry parents are demanding the firing of elementary school principal Marlene Whitby, and for good reason. At a meeting of the Elizabeth Forward School Board Wednesday, parents and board members angrily confronted each other over what parents see as the board dragging their heels in getting rid of a principal who crossed the line almost a month ago.

William Penn Elementary School Prinicpal Marlene Whitby was told by a student that another student, 8-year old Katie White, had stolen $5 from her on the bus. Whitby went and got the accused girl, paraded her around the school from class to class, and called her a liar and a thief in front of all the other students, publicly shaming her and ridiculing her as a criminal. Soon after the shocking public humiliation, White’s accuser came forward and admitted to having made up the entire story.

When Katie’s family found out about the incident, Whitby apologized privately to their daughter, but not publicly, according to Ryan White, Katie’s father. White said that when he spoke to Whitby about her treatment of his daughter, the principal acknowledged that she hadn’t even taken the time to look at a school bus video or talk to the bus driver to verify the truth of the accusation before publicly shaming his daughter. White took his complaint to the school board, but nothing was done to censure Whitby. At Wednesday’s volatile meeting, board members told angry parents that they are "appropriately handling" the issue. The president of the school board, Lowell Meek, said that he understood White’s anger, which enraged Katie’s father even more. "If you understood my anger, (Whitby) would be gone," White said.

Tom DeRosa, a Forward Township supervisor who has a daughter in third grade at William Penn Elementary School, is baffled by the school board’s handling—rather, mishandling—of Whitby’s outrageous actions. DeRosa asked the board why it has taken nearly a month to investigate the incident and Whitby. "There’s no mystery about what happened, "DeRosa said. "It should have taken one day."

Whitby, who is still principal at the school, has not spoken to the media at all. School board officials have refused to say what kind of discipline Whitby could face. Perhaps she should be made to march around town for a week wearing a banner that says "I am incompetent and an embarrassment to the school system."