STROUDSBURG, MONROE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A local cafeteria worker could be fired after she's accused of taping the mouths of school students. The Stroudsburg Area School District says its employee is responsible for neglecting children in this and other instances in past years.
Stroudsburg school district board directors provided a notice of termination to Hamilton Elementary School lunch monitor Dorothy Lanza.
The notice indicates Lanza did not meet an acceptable standard of care in protecting students' safety.
On the agenda at a school board meeting in the cafeteria of Stroudsburg High School was the declaration of termination of lunch monitor Dorothy Lanza.
"There's no joy in this. There's no fun in this, but we did what we needed to do, and when the health and safety of a student are at risk, it rises to a different level," Stroudsburg Area Superintendent Doctor Cosmos Curry stated.
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But according to the termination notice in April, two professional staff members reported that several students were picked up from lunch one day with blue painter's tape over their mouths.
Lanza is accused of doing the taping.
School officials say adults and students reported hearing Lanza say the tape was intended for silencing students.
The school says her behavior was abusive toward students. Lanza responded that it was a joke.
One teacher even reported that Lanza stated the students are too loud, need their mouths taped shut, and "It's the only thing that works with some kids."
"If she accepts the termination and goes her way, I wish her the best and hope she seeks some kind of help," Stroudsburg resident Darren Frable said.
Frable has two kids at Hamilton Elementary.
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According to the notice of termination, there were several items in Lanza's annual evaluation with the district administration beginning in 2021 that noted neglectful performance toward children.
"I hope she just walks away from this school district because this is not what Stoudsburg School District needs," Frable added.
Dr. Curry says making sure families know their children's safety isn't at risk is a priority at his school district.
"It is really important to us that we honor and reinforce that trust on a day-to-day basis," Dr. Curry explained.
Lanza can either agree with the notice of termination or file an appeal with the union within 10 days.