Laurel Highlands teacher accused of sexually assaulting student resigns
A Laurel Highlands High School teacher accused of sexually assaulting a then-student at the school has resigned.
Daniel Cervone, who was a Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps instructor, submitted his resignation to the district Tuesday, district Solicitor Gary Frankhouser said at a Wednesday school board meeting.
Speaking on behalf of the board, Frankhouser said before Cervone resigned, his termination had been in place to be voted on at Wednesday’s meeting.
In court paperwork filed last month, police alleged Cervone had an inappropriate relationship with a student, including having sex with her once on school grounds, over several months in 2019 and 2020.
At a special meeting last month, the board fired Martin Gatti, a high school social studies teacher, who allegedly repeatedly pressured a girl into trying to kiss him.
As they had at the two special board meetings since the arrests, parents criticized board members and Superintendent Jesse Wallace for what they said has been a culture where student concerns were ignored.
Sarah Hixson, a Laurel Highlands graduate and a mother of a current student in the district, encouraged others to come forward with their stories.
In a recent Facebook post, she asked others who had not been taken seriously when they reported incidents of a sexual nature to district administrators to message her. In the first 24 hours, she said, 18 people reached out to her for the contact information of the law firm the district hired earlier this month to perform an independent review of the district’s mandatory reporting practices.
The firm, MBM Law, is doing “an amazing job” of hearing resident complaints, Hixson said.
“You’re probably very well aware that I myself have caused a lot of gray hairs on your head, because the problem student becomes the problem parent, and I’m here to keep my kids safe,” Hixson told Wallace.
Multiple residents who spoke Wednesday demanded Wallace resign, or asked the board to look at clauses in his contract related to contract length or severance they said were inconsistent with state law.
“This board has a choice,” said parent Corinna Horton. “You can continue to protect a failing administration, or you can start protecting our children. The scars they carry today are the legacy you are building. It is time to change that legacy. It is time for a new superintendent and a new era of safety.”
After the meeting, Wallace said he had no intention to resign, and that he is working on rebuilding public trust.
“We’re working on that every day,” he said. “We’re doing our jobs the way that they’re supposed to be done, making sure that all policies and procedures are followed, and making sure that everyone’s reporting anything that they have to report. That’s what we’ve done from the very beginning.”
Wallace said despite the resignation of Cervone, more investigation would be needed to restore residents’ faith in the district.
“We’re still getting a lot more reports from incidents that happened 20 years ago,” he said. “I don’t know where those are going to lead. I know that they’ve been reported. Where they go, I don’t know, but no one’s hampering that process. And whatever comes of that, comes of that.”
Residents also questioned whether the district had been transparent enough with parents, pointing to the lack of notification about the reassignment of High School Principal John Diamond and Middle School Assistant Principal Bobbi Downs, who switched roles at the end of the month.
Frankhouser said there had not been a disciplinary reason for the switch, which the district will continually analyze along with any other future changes to see how they are working.
“The realignment of the principals was an administrative move with the knowledge of the board to provide a new perspective, which may or may not be permanent, and may also involve future realignments,” he said.
The public also heard Wednesday from a lawyer from MBM Law.
‘We were here the last time when we were appointed, and there was a lot of generalities — “‘Everybody knows,’ ‘We knew this had been happening for years,'” said Christina Lane, a partner with the firm. “Your school board can’t take any action on generalities. We need specific information, so if you have that, please share that.”
After the meeting, Lane said the scope included not just events related to Gatti and Cervone, but whether there were systemic problems — whether a culture of fear around reporting, or a lack of instruction on how to properly report allegations.
Lane said the firm would make recommendations to the board on issues of concern, as well as recommendations on communication practices on reporting.
“We’re looking for, ‘Is there a problem at Laurel Highlands, and what can we do to fix it?'” she said.