Alpena Public Schools, Tom Berriman look to future after non-renewal of contract
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ALPENA -- Suspended Ella White Principal Tom Berriman says he has no intention of taking legal action against Alpena Public Schools after the district's Board of Education voted to not renew his contract on Monday.
Berriman has been on paid administrative leave since November after allegedly mishandling two incidents involving a disruptive special-needs student.
Superintendent Dave Rabbideau said discussions are already underway on what the path forward in replacing Berriman will be and said an announcement could come soon.
Berriman allegedly picked up and carried the student to his office, but a video containing the intricacies of the incidents has not been made public, because the parents of the students want to protect their family's privacy.
Board President Anna Meinhardt said Tuesday the suspension, investigation, hearings, and decision of the board has had an emotional impact on many people. She said the goal of everyone at APS was to do the right thing, while protecting the privacy of the child.
"It has been a hard four months for everyone involved, the teachers, the students, Mr. Berriman and his family, and the community," she said. "We didn't start the school year thinking something like this would happen, but sometimes difficult situations arise and hard decisions need to be made."
Meinhardt said there were things that she believes the school system and Berriman could have done differently, but didn't elaborate on what they were. She said policy was followed and a new precedent outside of board policy wasn't created, which could have led to other potential headaches down the road.
Now, she said, it is time to move forward and learn from what transpired.
"It's time to move forward, to continue to build the trust of the community, and be as transparent as we can be moving forward," she said.
Berriman said during his suspension his eyes were opened to how many people care for his family and supported it during a difficult time.
He said his family plans to continue to call Alpena home and for his children to continue their education in the public school system.
"I want to thank the entire Alpena community for supporting our family during the last few months. It's been a long, difficult ordeal that has finally reached its conclusion, he said. "While I don't agree with the decision, I will accept it and look forward to the next step. I accept responsibility for the mistakes made on November 9 that led to this situation. My family is blessed to call Alpena home and I look forward to making this place even more special."
One critical piece of evidence used by the board in its decision to not renew Berriman's contract was the content of videos of the alleged incidents.
The videos -- which have not been made public because the parents have not consented to a release -- have been viewed numerous times by the board as a whole and individually by its members. The content likely played a pivotal role in a large majority of the board voting as it did, Meinhardt said.
Meinhardt said the parents wanted to protect their child and family and asked the school system to not release the video, even if the face of the student was blurred out.
"The video was definitely important to the investigation and the large picture," she said. "We were able to view it, pause it, slow it down, and zoom in and look at it in every way technology allowed. It was, however, only a piece of the overall investigation."
Besides the video, Meinhardt said there were numerous interviews conducted and email and correspondence examined.
On Tuesday, supporters of Berriman continued to question the board's decision and called for voters to vote against those on the board who were in favor of letting Berriman go when the next elections cycle rolls around.
One person posted a meme that edited the face of Rabideau on a figure holding puppet strings, with the board members -- minus Eric Lawson who cast the lone vote in favor of retaining Berriman -- at the other end of the strings.
In the end, Meinhardt said the process worked as it should and, although the circumstances are unfortunate, she believes the most important thing was the school system was able to spare the student and family more grief and help ensure its privacy.
"Our goal all along was to protect the privacy of everyone involved," she said. "We tried to do everything by the book and I don't regret anything about how we handled it."