Stamford Releases Report that Led Principal's Firing

The hearing officer’s report of his investigation into the actions of former Stamford High School principal Donna Valentine has been released by Stamford Public Schools.

The investigation came after former School Superintendent Winifred Hamilton recommended that Valentine be fired.

The release of the 95-page report, follows the Board of Education’s decision Jan. 25 to terminate Valentine for her failure to report to state authorities information that a now former teacher was having an affair with a student. Valentine and an assistant principal are now serving a special form of probation following their arrest for failing to report the incident.

Here is the statement the Stamford Public Schools released Friday:

“To ensure transparency of an issue that has drawn considerable public concern and discussion, Stamford Public Schools (SPS) has posted the full findings of the impartial hearing officer in the recent Stamford Board of Education (BOE) termination proceeding concerning Dr. Donna Valentine.

The report can be found here.

Since the BOE’s decision is subject to appeal by Dr. Valentine in the Superior Court, Board members will not comment beyond what is contained in their written decision. That written decision is available here.

As background, the proceedings took place over six days and included sworn testimony, with witnesses subject to the criminal offense of perjury. The impartial hearing officer, who presided over the proceedings, was selected at the suggestion of Dr. Valentine and by agreement between Dr. Valentine and Dr. Hamilton.

The hearing officer has the sole legal authority to determine the facts of this case, as a judge would do, and the BOE cannot legally change those findings. Due to the legal requirements of the BOE and its employees to maintain the confidentiality of personally identifiable student records and information, some words are struck out in sections of the posted findings.

The information is being posted to provide members of the public with the opportunity to review the document in its entirety and come to their own conclusions.”