Northmont suspends administrator two days
Administrator keeps job after complaint from ex-girlfriend.
Assistant principal James Chad Kaltenbach was convicted of disorderly conduct in December in a case of telephone harassment.
The Northmont High School administrator who was convicted of disorderly conduct in December served a two-day suspension from his job without pay and remains an assistant principal.
The personnel file of James Chad Kaltenbach shows that Northmont officials reported Kaltenbach’s guilty plea to the Ohio Department of Education on Jan. 10 as possible “conduct unbecoming to the teaching profession.”
“I am not aware of anything in the law that prevents a teacher or principal from continuing to work if a report is made to ODE,” Northmont Superintendent Tony Thomas said. “It is my understanding that ODE has made no conclusions or decisions at this time. Our plan is to have Mr. Kaltenbach serve the district as an assistant principal through the end of this school year.”
Kaltenbach could not be reached
for comment.
Kaltenbach was arrested last summer on a count of telephone harassment after complaints from an ex-girlfriend. He was warned by Enon police to have no further contact with her but did so anyway, according to court records.
He received a 15-day sentence, but all 15 days were suspended on the condition that Kaltenbach have no contact with the victim for six months.
The notice of suspension in Kaltenbach’s school personnel file, signed by Thomas, said the suspension was for “insubordination and lack of professional judgment.”
It said that at a Nov. 14 meeting with the superintendent, Kaltenbach told Thomas that the criminal case “was in the process of being dismissed” by a Dec. 5 court appearance. The document adds that after Kaltenbach pleaded guilty, he did not tell district leaders, who learned that he pleaded guilty via a public records search.
“Your conviction and history of violating repeated directives negatively impacted the reputation of the district and confidence in your ability to serve in a supervisory role,” the notice from Thomas said. “Please be advised that similar behavior in the future could result in more severe disciplinary action, including a recommendation for termination of your employment.”
The notice lists the dates of his suspension as Jan. 30 and Feb. 11. Kaltenbach’s personnel file shows he was hired as an assistant principal at
Northmont in 2007. Each of his past three years’ evaluations gave him the highest possible overall rating of “accomplished.”
Kaltenbach is also named in a pending federal lawsuit against Northmont schools by a family whose son was suspended in February 2019. That lawsuit claims that Kaltenbach and police assigned to the school enforced “racially motivated unfair discipline.”
Contact this reporter at 937225-2278 or email Jeremy. Kelley@cmg.com.