Parents outraged after 2 Laurel Highlands teachers arrested for alleged inappropriate relationships with students
Parents of Laurel Highlands School District students voiced outrage toward the school board after a special meeting Tuesday night, upset that two teachers were arrested less than a week apart for alleged inappropriate relationships with students.
"My daughter is a freshman at this high school. In the last two weeks, two of her teachers got taken out the front door in cuffs. She's heartbroken, she's destroyed. She has so many questions," one parent said.
As did dozens of parents about JROTC instructor Daniel Cervone, who is accused of sexual contact with a minor and corruption of minors. According to police, the victim is a 15-year-old Laurel Highlands High School student.
"Those things are going to happen from time to time; there's going to be a bad apple in every bunch. It seems to me that you guys have adopted the whole tree," another attendee said.
Cervone's arrest comes just a week after long-time teacher Martin Gatti was charged with similar counts. Police say the victim in that case was a female student inside his classroom.
The vast majority of the anger was directed at Jesse Wallace, the district's long-time superintendent.
"You need to resign, Mr. Wallace, and the rest of you need to think about it, too," another parent said.
"It wasn't a secret; everyone talked about it. Teachers knew, students knew, and principals did. No one cared," one parent told the board.
Board president Marcus DiNunno says Gatti has been fired, and Cervone's fate at the district has yet to be decided. However, he did tell KDKA-TV the following:
"We are going to demand change, and we're going to enact change, and it's soon to come," Dinunno said.
Wallace declined to get into specifics after the meeting.
"I really don't have anything to say. I don't think anything I say right now is going to make a difference in what anybody thinks. We're just going to work through the best we can," Wallace said.
