Principal Found Not Guilty In Gift Card Uproar Reflects: 'Grateful'

AMAGANSETT, NY — Maria Dorr, the Amagansett school principal who will return to work Monday after being suspended for more than a year — following a controversy over a gift card that rocked the tiny Hamptons school district — issued a statement Friday.

"I am deeply grateful that this process has come to an end, allowing me to refocus on what matters most — serving the students and community of Amagansett. This has been a challenging time for my family and me, but it has only strengthened my dedication to fostering a positive, collaborative, and student-centered environment," Dorr told Patch.

"The unwavering support and encouragement I have received throughout this journey have been truly humbling. I remain as passionate as ever about creating a school culture where respect, growth, and achievement flourish," she said.

And, Dorr addeed: "As I return to my role, I do so with renewed commitment — to championing a culture of excellence, to supporting my colleagues, and most importantly, to ensuring that every student receives the quality education they deserve. Together, we will continue to build a strong foundation for success, both inside and beyond the classroom."

For months, the district, which serves about 120 students, has been embroiled in an ongoing conflict regarding the gift card, which Dorr was accused of stealing from a colleague. Dorr had been suspended with pay since January, 2024. On Thursday, a state-appointed hearing officer, Timothy Taylor, issued a determination, stating that she had been found not guilty, according to the decision.

Dorr had never been criminally charged in the matter.

"Justice has been served — and people have to be held accountable now for what happened," said Dorr's attorney Art Scheuermann. Of his client, he said: "The board issued a decision and she'll be returning to work on Monday. She's very happy to be returning to work."

Wayne Gauger, president of the Amagansett Union Free School District, also issued a statement after the decision: "The Amagansett Board of Education has received the decision of the hearing officer relative to a legal proceeding concerning a member of the district staff. We acknowledge the hearing officer's work and accept the determination that this individual, who had been reassigned to home while the proceeding was underway, will return to the position that the individual occupied. That is expected to occur in the coming days."

He added: "Our school community has experienced a great deal of emotional turbulence over this matter. The Board of Education believes it is time to put this matter behind us by remaining keenly focused on the exceptional work that our educators do on behalf of students and families in Amagansett. We also ask our community to respect the fact that our legal obligations and commitment to personal privacy require us to refrain from any further comment."

According to the decision, Dorr, is a tenured administrator employed by the Amagansett Union Free School District. On February 6, 2024, the district brought charges, alleging that on December 15, 2023, Dorr "took an envelope and a gift card belonging to another employee without authorization," the decision said. "Respondent allegedly told another employee not to do anything or tell anyone and provided false and/or misleading information to the Interim Superintendent (Richard Loeschner) during his investigation. The respondent’s alleged misconduct constitutes just cause for discipline. The District seeks Dorr’s termination," the document said.

Dorr requested a hearing, the decision stated.

Hearings were held on July 10, August 6, August 8, August 26, September 3, October 30, and November 20, 2024. Dorr was accused of taking a red envelope with a gift card belonging to Christina McElroy, an occupational therapist, and then, providing "false and/or misleading information" to the interim superintendent, Taylor said.

"Cassie Butts, the school receptionist, testified she placed it in C. McElroy’s mailbox shortly before Dorr stole it," the decision read. "At 8:37:04 a.m., Dorr enters the mailroom. Dorr exits at 8:37:27, holding a stack of papers with a red envelope in plain view. At 8:56:59 a.m. Butts is seen on camera in the front hallway accessing the security cameras on the school security office’s computer. At 10:08:15 a.m., Butts reenters the mailroom. She remains there for 21 seconds before Dorr enters at 10:08:46. Butts tells Dorr that she is looking for a missing gift card," the decision said, adding that McElroy told Butts that the red envelope was missing.

"On December 19, 2023, Sandra Nuzzi, the district clerk, told Dorr that Butts, some teachers, and a security guard reviewed security footage and saw her with the red envelope and accused her of stealing C. McElroy’s card. Dorr confronted Butts and showed her a red envelope or a Shell gas card that she received on December 15, 2023. Butts said, 'That’s not it,'" according to the determination.
Loeschner asked Jennifer Miller, the district's director of technology — who said that there was no security camera in the mailoom — to investigate "the disappearance of a red envelope," preliminary statements said.

"Loeschner directed her to pull the December 15, 2023 video. He asked her to see if Dorr was carrying a red envelope," according to the document.

Video from a main hallway camera showed a parent with red envelopes and a child, the decision said. "The parent hands Butts two red envelopes; Butts places the envelopes on her desk. At 8:24:24, Butts stands up and picks up a red envelope and heads to the hallway. The time is 8:24. She walks through the hallway to the mailroom. Butts walks into the mailroom with a red envelope and leaves without it. At 8:37:30, Dorr appears and enters the mailroom. At 8:37:50, Dorr exits with a red envelope in her left hand and a white piece of paper," the preliminary statement read.

When Loeschner questioned Miller, she told him that she saw "lots of different red envelopes going back and forth between Butts and the students and Dorr in the hallway," Taylor's determination said. "There were multiple meetings with Loeschner and the District Clerk Nuzzi about the footage."

A parent with two students in the school testified that she brought several red envelopes to school on December 15, 2023, the decision said. "On December 15, 2023, she brought gift cards for teachers and a gift card for Butts, totaling six gift cards. One of the envelopes was for C. McElroy, containing aholiday card and a $25 Amazon gift card."

"Kalbacker testified that Dorr had a reputation for honesty and good moral character," the decision said.

According to the decision, Butts testified that she saw C. McElroy around 9:40 a.m., and she told her that she put a red envelope in her mailbox. Later, C. McElroy told her the red envelope was not in her mailbox, the decision said. "Butts then went to the mailroom to search for the red envelope. While in the mailroom, she tells Dorr about the missing red envelope, and Dorr replies, 'Well, don’t tell anybody because we’ll have to do an investigation. We’ll have to hire an attorney,'" the decision said.

Loeschner testified that on December 19, 2023, an Amagansett Teachers Association co-president and physical education teacher Mike Rodgers asked if he had heard about the Christmas card; Rodgers wrote on a piece of paper two times, 8:24 and 8:37, and told Loeschner to look at the security footage for the mailroom, the decision said.

Loeschner reviewed the footage and saw Butts enter the mailroom at 8:24 with a red envelope; at 8:37, he saw Dorr exiting the mailroom with a red envelope, the document said. After speaking with Dorr on December 19, 2023, she held up a Shell gift card and said, 'This is what they saw on the camera,'" the decision said.

Loeschner testified the Union was concerned about the missing card, according to the decision. "On December 21, 2023, Loeschner spoke with Dorr, and she pulled out a red envelope with a Christmas card, telling him she found it in her recycling bin. He took the envelope. It said Mrs. Dorr on the outside, and the Christmas card inside had Mrs. Dorr on it," the decision said.

Loeschner testified that between January 11 and 15, 2024, he and Dorr texted to try and resolve the issue with the gift card; by January 12, 2024, Loeschner testified he had no doubt she took it, the decision read: "Loeschner’s investigation concluded that Dorr took C. McElroy’s red envelope containing the Christmas card and gift card. Loeschner testified that on December 19, 2023, Rodgers did not have permission to review security camera footage," the decision stated.

The district contended that on December 15, 2023, Dorr entered the mailroom, took a red envelope that contained a gift card from the mailbox of employee C. McElroy, and did so without permission, according to the decisiion. "The District further asserts that by her actions, Dorr not only stole from one of her co-workers but also covered up the theft and repeatedly lied to Interim Superintendent of Schools Loeschner when he questioned her about it," the decision read.

The decision added that Dorr's attorneys contended that the district has not met its burden of proving any of the charges against Dorr. "The respondent further argues that the district's investigation, which led to the charges the respondent now faces, was negligent, politically motivated, and rushed to judgment. . . Finally, the respondent argues that it strains credulity that Dorr, an award-winning principal, would steal the envelope in question," the decision said.

The respondent concluded that the "charges against Dorr should be dismissed," Taylor wrote.
The hearing officer concluded that "the district has not met its burden of proof establishing Dorr’s guilt."

In his decision, Taylor said guilt was not established because "Butts is not credible," and did not explain how she knew that McElroy's red envelope was missing when McElroy didn't even realize that it was, until about 90 minutes later.

Butts could not immediately be reached for comment.

"Butts quickly spread rumors on December 15, 2023, alleging that Dorr had stolen the gift card. She had no basis for this statement. No investigation had occurred, yet Butts quickly escalated the incident beyond its true significance. A missing red envelope during the peak holiday season does not justify spreading an unsupported rumor and tarnishing Dorr’s character," Taylor, the hearing officer, wrote.

Taylor added that "Loeschner failed to conduct a full and fair investigation. Loeschner focused on the incorrect red envelope. He did not investigate the missing red envelope addressed to C. McElroy; instead, he concentrated on the red envelope that Dorr carried out of the mailroom."
In addition, the hearing officer said, Loeschner never questioned why the mailroom had no camera.

"There is no evidence of what happened in the mailroom on December 15, 2023," he said. "Loeschner was biased. He launched his investigation after ATA copresident Rodgers, now superintendent, told him to look at specific times from security footage that Rodgers did not have permission to view. Loeschner also met with Rodgers and Blackburn after viewing the video but before speaking to Butts and Dorr about the incident. The ATA plays no role in the superintendent’s investigation, yet Loeschner was in constant and ongoing communication with the ATA throughout his investigation," Turner wrote in his decision.

He added that Dorr had been the school's principal since 2015 and knew where the security cameras were, giving her "ample time" to hide the envelope and avoid being seen, had she wanted to do so.
Taylor also said he found Loeschner's testimony "disconcerting," when he said he only focused on red envelopes. "The investigation launched 10 days before Christmas, which is a time when the number of red envelopes in circulation could potentially be numerous, particularly in an elementary school where parents often give their children's teachers holiday cards," he wrote in the decision.

He concluded that he found Dorr "not guilty of the charges."

Dorr's counsel questioned whether Dorr was afforded due process, Taylor said. In this instance, "Not only was the investigation inconsistent, but there were also questions about its objectivity andwhether it was conducted satisfactorily. Upon analysis, the investigation was not sufficiently conducted to determine that Dorr stole the red envelope," Taylor wrote. "The district fell short of its burden to prove that Dorr took the red envelope in question or, equally as important, that one of the other employees who entered the mailroom during the timeframe in question did not. Therefore, based on the evidence before me, I am not persuaded that Dorr engaged in the conduct of which she is accused, and I find that the district did not meet its burden of proving that Dorr engaged in acts constituting misconduct, neglect of duty, and/or conduct unbecoming an administrator. I find that Dorr is not guilty."

Although Dorr's attorneys asked for reimbursement for time and expenses, deeming the accusations "frivolous," Taylor said they were not frivolous and denied the request for Dorr's attorneys to be reimbursed.

Dorr will be immediately reinstated as principal, and the district will expunge the charges from her personnel record, Taylor said, adding: "The district shall make Dorr whole in all pertinent ways."