Three top-level employees from the Montville school district have turned themselves in to state police, as the district grapples with allegations that a substitute teacher ran a fight club at the high school.
The superintendent, the high school principal and the assistant principal are being charged with failure to report an abuse incident. They’ve each been placed on paid leave pending a state police investigation.
The arrest warrant stated that they knew about the fight club for at least two months before police got involved. State law requires abuse incidents to be reported to the Department of Children and Families or police within 12 hours of hearing about it. Several student-recorded videos of fights between students are being used as evidence.
A court will determine whether these charges constitute a misdemeanor or a felony. They each face up to three years in prison and fines of $3,500.
The teacher, Ryan Fish, was charged last week with seven counts of various crimes, including reckless endangerment.
In a statement, Montville assistant superintendent Laurie Pallin said she is not part of the investigation and could not offer any further details.
"What I can tell you is that we cannot and will not let this current situation define who and what we are at Montville Public Schools," Pallin said.
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