UPDATED, July 9: LeiLanie D’Agostino, scheduled to teach third grade at Hardy School this fall, instead will retire, Superintendent Kathleen Bodie wrote in an email to Hardy parents and guardians Wednesday, July 8.
A number of Hardy parents raised issues about the appointment in June, citing the administrator’s long-ago legal troubles, resolved in her favor. Other parents defended D’Agostino.
“This is the update which I promised you regarding the personnel assignment at the Hardy School, which has been the subject of public discussion,” she wrote.
“I am pleased to inform you that, following the change in Ms. D’Agostino’s administrative duties due to the reorganization of our data functions, which effectively amounted to abolition of the position she held, the School District and Ms. D’Agostino cooperatively explored the possible options under the 2006 agreement and have reached an amicable and fair resolution that will result in Ms. D’Agostino retiring from employment with the district.
“We look forward to letting you know the teaching staff for the third grade at Hardy as soon as it is finalized.
“Thank you for your understanding during this time.”
Bodie was asked to cite the option under the 2006 agreement that permits the outcome and the date of the retirement.
“I cannot comment further,” she responded July 8.
D’Agostino has also been asked to comment.
In 2005, a judge ruled in favor of D’Agostino and the school administration in a lawsuit alleging sexual, physical and emotional abuse by D’Agostino, in 2000, when she was a teacher at the Brackett School.
Following the court decision, a 2006 agreement between the administration and the Arlington Education Association, the teachers’ union, permitted D’Agostino to move to administrative role. She has been the director of data integration for curriculum, instruction and assessment and continues in that position.
Some of the discussion to which Bodie refers in her statement is to extensive commentary on an email list set up by Hardy parents to focus on this issue. Some of the comments there, as recently as July 7, involved details of the lawsuit.
June 23, 2015: Controversy erupts
Opinion, June 26, 2015: D’Agostino tells her side
This report was published Wednesday, July 8, 2015, and updated July 9 with some details.
