O’NEILL MAY FACE TERMINATION AFTER ALL

DIANA O’NEILL, THE VENICE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHER WHO WAS ACCUSED OF ABUSING STUDENTS IN HER CLASSROOM MAY BE TERMINATED AFTER ALL.  PUBLISHED REPORTS SAY A STATE PANEL RECENTLY RULED THAT O’NEILL KEEP HER TEACHING CERTIFICATE AFTER SHE WAS ACQUITTED OF ABUSING HER DISABLED STUDENTS, BUT THEY ALSO ORDERED A TWO MONTH SUSPENSION OF THAT CERTIFICATE WHICH COULD OPEN A DOOR FOR THE DISTRICT TO TERMINATE HER.  SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT LORI WHITE HAS TRIED TO FIRE O’NEILL ALREADY, BUT AN ARBITRATOR RULED O’NEILL SHOULD KEEP HER JOB BECAUSE THE DISTRICT WAS AWARE OF HER BEHAVIOR BUT NEVER DISCIPLINED HER OR GAVE HER VERBAL WARNINGS WHICH ARE REQUIRED.  THE DISTRICT HAS YET TO ACT BECAUSE O’NEILL CAN APPEAL THE RULING, WHICH WOULD DELAY THE SUSPENSION.  AN ATTORNEY FOR THE SCHOOL BOARD IS ALSO RECOMMENDING THE SCHOOL DISTRICT SETTLE WITH THE FAMILIES OF THREE CHILDREN ALLEGEDLY ABUSED BY O’NEILL.  UNDER THE PROPOSED SETTLEMENT, EACH FAMILY WILL RECEIVE $52,500, BUT THAT MUST BE APPROVED BY A JUDGE AND THE SCHOOL BOARD.  ONE FAMILY HAS ALREADY RECEIVED A SETTLEMENT IN THE SAME AMOUNT AFTER THEY FILED SUIT THAT THEIR DAUGHTER WAS ABUSED BY O’NEILL.