Westhill parents, students miss principal’s presence
School community wants to hear from its leader after suspension
STAMFORD — It’s been about a month and a half since the Westhill High School principal was suspended, but parents there still have little clarity on the status of the administrator — and say students and their families sorely miss his unifying presence, particularly during the ongoing period of distance learning.
Principal Michael Rinaldi has been back at work since late March, but because of a gag order imposed by the school district, he is no longer posting messages on social media. Any communication by him to students, staff or parents needs to be approved by an associate superintendent.
That, parents say, has left a void that is hurting the school community.
Dave Frattaroli is the parent of a senior at Westhill and follows Rinaldi on Instagram and Facebook. He called the district’s decision to suspend him “shameful.”
He said students, including his own daughter, miss Rinaldi’s online posts.
“I know they miss it,” he said. “They knew that he cares about them.”
Not having that familiar face anymore has been disruptive, especially during a time in which students are no longer seeing school staff regularly, he said.
“They kind of feel that nobody cares about them,” he said.
John Morgan, an attorney and Westhill parent, said Rinaldi’s messages are sorely missed, especially as students face Advanced Placement exams this week.
“They need support, encouragement and confidence,” he wrote in an email. “But where is their principal? Where is the administration? Nowhere to be seen or heard.”
Rinaldi traditionally has been a regular presence on social media, posting videos on Instagram and Facebook, usually with some sort of encouraging or inspirational message for students.
He was suspended for, without approval, speculating on Instagram on March 19 that classroom teaching inside Stamford schools would not resume this year due to the outbreak of Covid-19, which led to school buildings closing on March 13.
He also spoke about the work of custodians at the school who were tasked with sanitizing the building,
and said they didn’t “sign up for this.”
Rinaldi, an employee of Stamford schools for 32 years and principal at Westhill since 2017, was suspended for three days, March 23-25, without pay. Further, he was ordered to work with his associate superintendent to create a “professional growth plan” and was required to undergo training on the use of social media.
The suspension letter from Superintendent Tamu Lucero says Rinaldi had received direction on multiple occasions that all communication to the public had to be cleared with an associate superintendent prior its release.
The letter states that any further instances that require disciplinary action could result in Rinaldi losing his job.
Last month, the Stamford Administrative Unit union that represents school principals filed a grievance challenging Rinaldi’s suspension. The union claims Lucero violated, misinterpreted or misapplied provisions of the contract between the union and the school district in suspending Rinaldi without pay.
Discussions about the grievance have been ongoing, according to schools spokesperson Sharon Beadle, but “no final resolution has been reached.”
Parents, meanwhile, complain that they have been left in the dark regarding Rinaldi’s status. The school district has not sent out any information about Rinaldi’s suspension, or even acknowledged that it happened, they said.
“It’s been crickets,” said Linda Chapman, the parent of a Westhill sophomore. “No one’s heard a thing.”
Chapman said she’s been angry about Rinaldi’s suspension since she first heard about it. In fact, she initially thought it was a false rumor.
“This could not be happening,” she said, recalling her reaction to the news. “Lo and behold, it did.”
Since then, she’s tried to get clarification about the suspension from the school district, with little success.
“I don’t understand it,” she said, of the suspension. “The punishment did not fit the crime. It was like it was personal.”
Chapman, like many parents, has questioned why Rinaldi would be suspended as the school district grapples with remote learning during a global crisis. An online petition supporting
Rinaldi has over 2,300 signatures, and many commentators believe the suspension was too severe.
“We’re in the middle of a pandemic,” Chapman said. “He needs to be talking to these kids. These kids are disengaged.”
At Westhill High School, 29 percent of students are considered to not be engaged with online distance learning, and 16 percent, or 355 students, have not been in contact with the
school once since classes were interrupted. Both of those statistics are worst in the district.
The school district’s “rules concerning personal social media activity” states that an employee may not discuss the Board of Education, school district or individual schools on personal social networking sites, “unless the employee states that the post is the personal communication of the employee.”
In the Instagram video, Rinaldi said, “The following statement is not an official statement, it is just me reading between the lines, and um, giving you my opinion.”
The grievance seeks to expunge the suspension from Rinaldi’s record and to have the school district pay back the three days of administrative leave.
Rinaldi declined to comment for this story. School administrators did not respond this week to a request to discuss the Rinaldi case further. Beadle has repeatedly said the district does not comment on personnel matters.
Rodney Bass, the former principal of Stamford High School, said he was surprised to learn of Rinaldi’s suspension. Bass has known Rinaldi for about 18 years and considers him a friend.
“When I heard about it, I was somewhat surprised just because I know Mike to be a genuine individual,” Bass said. “I don’t think he maliciously or intentionally wanted to be disobedient.”