The Save Our Saltsburg Schools group has issued a statement concerning this week’s ruling by Indiana County Senior Judge William Martin in the group’s lawsuit against the River Valley School District and six members of its school board.
The group filed the lawsuit as the former Blairsville-Saltsburg school district became the River Valley school district earlier this year. The lawsuit claimed the district violated procedural due process that is guaranteed in the Pennsylvania constitution, and in an amended complaint, claimed that board members Rick Harper, Anthony Canzano, Molly Stiles, Connie Constantino, Holly Gibson and Mary Whitfield breached their fiduciary duties to the district.
In his opinion, Judge Martin said while the court was sympathetic to the group, it was bound by legal principles to the actions of River Valley School District and it’s board members. He also said it was “beyond the scope of the court’s decision making latitude to question the propriety of the board’s decisions provided they were made within the confines of the law.”
SOSS attorney Joel Sansone said that while he respects Judge Martin, he feels he got it wrong.
No word yet on when the possible appeal would be held, but Sansone feels that with the length of time that it is predicted for the proceedings, he feels that their original goal to have Saltsburg Middle-High School Students back at the Saltsburg Campus by January is not feasible and also feels that the year may be a lost year for Saltsburg’s students.
