Former Plum superintendent, in charge during sex scandal, hired to lead northwest Pa. district

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Last October, after a 2015 sex-abuse scandal rocked the Plum Borough School District, Superintendent Timothy Glasspool stepped down under a $184,063 separation agreement

In explaining his plans to leave Plum, Mr. Glasspool’s attorney cited “antagonistic and hostile behavior” of some school board members, according to a letter sent to the districtsolicitor at the time.

Mr. Glasspool threatened legal action that could “cost the district an exorbitant amount of money” if the board refused to accept his resignation. He walked away with one year’s salary and other benefits.

But he was not unemployed for long.

On Monday, Mr. Glasspool was hired to lead the Penncrest School District, a 2,900student school district in Crawford and Venango countiesin northwestern Pennsylvania. Mr. Glasspool received a three-year contract, the district’s business manager Bryan Hobson said, but he declined to provide furtherdetails of the agreement.

Mr. Hobson would not provide a copy of Mr. Glasspool’s contract and directed a reporter to submit a request under the state’s Right-To-Know law.

As part of his Plum settlement, Mr. Glasspool received one year’s salary of $157,600, along with $12,375 for unused sick days and $14,088 for unused vacation days. The agreement included health, vision and dental benefits through this month.

Mr. Glasspool was placed on paid leave in Plum in 2016 after an Allegheny County grand jury released an 89page report detailing its investigation of the sex-abuse scandal, which led to two federal lawsuits and the criminal convictions of three former high school teachers.

The former teachers — Joseph Ruggieri, Jason Cooper and Michael Cinefra — received prison sentences following convictions for sexual assault and other charges related to inappropriate contact with students.

In a narrow vote in September 2016, the board reinstated Mr. Glasspool after the district conducted a second, independent investigation into the allegations. Levin Legal Group, which conducted the follow-up probe, recommended the board reinstate Mr. Glasspool after concluding there was no legal justification under the state public school code to fire him.

Penncrest school board president Mark Gerow could not immediately be reached for comment.

The Meadville Tribune newspaperfirst reported Mr. Glasspool’s hiring.