LAWRENCE — Oliver School Principal Beth Gannon is "emotionally fragile" and will be on leave while the School Department investigates whether she improperly promoted her steamy romance novel during faculty meetings, Superintendent Wilfredo Laboy said yesterday.
Laboy said he reached an agreement with Gannon yesterday allowing her to take the rest of the week off while "fact-finding" is underway.
The teachers union alleges Gannon urged other teachers to buy her self-published $13.95 paperback, "Crazy Fortunes," during faculty meetings and is considering a no-confidence vote against her as a result.
And at least one School Committee member called for Gannon to be fired.
Yesterday, Laboy described Gannon as "emotionally fragile" and under "a lot of duress" as a result of the allegations. He said Gannon penned "Crazy Fortunes" prior to her employment with the Lawrence schools.
Removing her from the school environment reduces the pressure on her and gives the School Department an opportunity to sift through the issue, said Laboy. He noted the process is used with other employees when issues arise.
Laboy also met with Oliver School staff at 3 p.m. yesterday to notify them of Gannon's leave and the "fact-finding" process. In her absence, another principal will be temporarily assigned to the Oliver School. It's unclear who that administrator will be, however.
"We're still negotiating that," said Laboy.
"Crazy Fortunes" came out in 2007 on the iUniverse.com label. It tells the tale of a woman who is engaged to be married but who reunites with her one-time lover and it contains explicit sex scenes.
The teachers union said the book contains references to promiscuity, binge drinking, drug use and suicide.
Frank McLaughlin, Lawrence Teachers' Union president, said that any teacher who brought such a book to school would be "immediately disciplined — severe enough to be removed from the building."
And if a student brought that or a similar novel to school, he or she also would be dealt with harshly.
School Committee member James Vittorioso described Gannon's alleged efforts to peddle the book on school time as both illegal and unethical.
State ethics laws prohibit the use of one's official position to obtain unwarranted privileges. The law also forbids people from using public resources for political or private purposes.
Veteran Oliver School math teacher Margaret "Peggy" Lynch said she complained about Gannon promoting the book by bringing it into the school and selling it. She described the book as "porn," "inappropriate," and "embarrassing."
Without any explanation from Gannon, Lynch, 61, was transferred last month out of her eighth-grade classroom into a detention hall at Lawrence High School for troubled youth, she said.
Lynch filed a grievance over her transfer and in the complaint mentions Gannon's book.
Lynch's husband, Neil, a former Lawrence resident and city councilor, addressed the School Committee last night, saying his wife's abrupt transfer needs to addressed immediately.
"We like someone to tell us what the administrative reason was. It's been 65 days and we still don't have an answer," he said.
His wife's former classroom is now being staffed with a subsitute teacher. They are receiving little to no training in math "for six weeks now," he said, noting MCAS testing is right around the corner.
"She has been a teacher in the Lawrence Public Schools for 23 years. She has right to understand what has happened. Put her back in the classroom and let her do the job she was trained to do," he said.
Responding to Lynch, Laboy said the matter is under review at his level and he's hopeful of a "positive resolution."
However, Laboy said he couldn't comment any further on the personnel issue.
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