THETFORD — The Orange East Supervisory Union have placed Thetford Elementary School’s new principal on paid administrative leave while the district investigates cases of student restraint that may have gone unreported or been mishandled during Chance Lindsley’s final year as principal at Newbury (Vt.) Elementary School, school officials said this week.
“There has been no wrongdoing substantiated, and the leave is a matter of protocol,” Supervisory Union Superintendent Emilie Knisley said in a letter sent Monday to Thetford Elementary staff and to parents of students at the K-6 school. “Since Mr. Lindsley began at TES, we have had no complaints regarding his performance and conduct and we have had many positive responses to his leadership.”
Lindsley, who took the reins in Thetford on July 1, did not return messages left for him before late Friday afternoon. In a message earlier this month to the Newbury community, Knisley wrote that she “recently discovered that employees in the Newbury School failed to complete the necessary reports” of cases of student restraint during the 2018-19 school year “and also may have departed from the rules that govern student restraint and seclusion.”
Knisley added that she was “not aware of any student who was injured by the failure to follow proper procedures and practices,” but added that “employees who have failed to perform their work consistent with expectations will face disciplinary action.”
Lindsley, 44, was popular with many members of the community during his tenure at Newbury Elementary, where he often sang with and played string instruments for the students. After narrowly surviving a heart attack in 2017, he praised colleagues, friends and neighbors for their support during his five-week recovery.
“The school did an incredible job,” Lindsley told the Valley News before a concert. “And the Newbury community, they did an incredible job, taking care of me and my family.”
Knisley said that while Lindsley is on leave, Assistant Superintendent Bruce Williams will serve as Thetford principal. Williams, a Norwich resident, is a former principal of Hanover’s Ray Elementary School.
Jordan Cuddemi can be reached at jcuddemi@vnews.com and at 603-727-3248. David Corriveau can be reached at dcorriveau@vnews.com and at 603-727-3304.