Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, April 14, 1990                   TAG: 9005010535
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: A3   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: Margaret Camlin New River Valley Bureau
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG                                 LENGTH: Medium

COUNSELOR WILL FILE GRIEVANCE

Five members of the Montgomery County School Board unanimously agreed Friday afternoon that Fran Weiss, the counselor, can proceed with the grievance process. Four members were absent.

Weiss said her assistant principal sent her a letter in early January reprimanding her for handling a student matter in what was called an unprofessional way. She said the letter had to do with her refusal to breach confidentiality with a female student.i

Weiss, a counselor for 12 years at the school, is being transferred to a teaching position against her wishes. She said she believes the letter of reprimand was used as an excuse to change her job from counseling to teaching and her contract from 11 to 10 months.i

She also said she believes Superintendent Harold Dodge was getting back at her for her vocal opposiotion to the proposed 2.0 minimum grade point average policy last year.i

Dodge said both charges are "totally absurd."

He said there is no relationship between the letter of reprimand and Weiss' change of contract, which the board approved last week.i

He said Weiss is making the allegations to support a lawsuit. When told Weiss was only speculating, Dodge said "even speculating is inflammatory, and she ought to know better."i

Dodge said other school employees spoke out against the 2.0 policy, such as David Crist, a teacher who coaches football at Blacksburg High. "I still support him and he supports me," Dodge said.i

Nelson Simpkins, the high school principal, and Judy Rutherford, a supervisor of guidance counselors, initally recommended that Weiss' contract be changed, Dodge said, "The recommendation didn't even come from me."i

Simpkins did not want to comment on the letter of reprimand or Weiss' job change.i

"I don't think the newspaper is the place to cover a personnel matter," Simpkins said. "I don't think it's appropriate."i

After the board met for 30 minutes in executive session Friday afternoon, Weiss and her husband, Alex, spoke to reporters for the first time about the case.i

Weiss said she filed a grievance in early January, and it went from the assistant principal to the principal to Personnel Director T. O. Williams. Williams has since been terminated, effective June 29.i

After four weeks, Williams was taken off the case and it was handed over to Jill Graybeal, assistant superintnedent for personnel and staff development, Weiss said.i

Graybeal determined that Weiss did not have grounds for a grievance, Weiss said.i

So Weiss went to Dodge, who asked the School Board to determine whether she had grounds for a grievance, Weiss said. The board met last Sutruday morning for about four hours discussing the case, as well as Friday afternoon.i

During Firday's closed meeting, Dodge confirmed that he told the board he has the option of appealing its decision through the county Circuit Court.i

Dodge said he will get legal advice before deciding whether to make the appeal.i

Weiss said she believes she is bound by the ethical standeards of her profession to keep confidential the matters students bring up in counseling sessions.i

The female student whom Weiss had been counseling was not a danger to herself or anyone else - and was not involved in anything that would require a breach of confidentiality, Weiss said. She offered no further details.i

She said many school administratiors believe the standards of confidentiality do not apply inside school walls.i

"There are counnselors who breach confidentiality all the time," she said, because some principals believe they must know everything about students.i

She said she wishes she'd had an opportunity to air her grievance before the board voted to change her contract last week. She said she will consult with her attorney before taking the next step.i

Board Chairwoman Virginia Kennedy said Weiss can go back and file the grievance with her supervisor, and the next step would be to file with her principal, then the superintendent.i

Then she would have a choice of airing the grievance either before the board or before a three-person panel composed of a someone to represent her, a person to represent the board and a third person chosen by the other two panel members, Kennedy said.i

Board members Mildred Gordon, Donald Lacy, James Hassall, Lou Herrmann anad Kennedy were present for Friday's meeting.