Teacher not fired, just ‘let go’
BROOKSVILLE –
Superintendent Bryan Blavatt said former Powell Middle School band teacher Kyle Huston was not fired following an investigation into allegations that he pushed a 12-year-old student.
He prefers to say that Huston’s probationary contract was terminated — immediately.
On Tuesday, Blavatt told Hernando Today he didn’t know about an alleged battery at PMS and even requested that a reporter send him a copy of the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office report on the incident that occurred in late November.
However, he did confirm that he hadn’t fired anyone.
But on Wednesday Blavatt said he knew about the investigation and that it had been complete. He added that he didn’t feel he could say much more about the matter because the investigation file won’t become public record until later this month.
However, he said he wasn’t being untruthful when he stated he hadn’t fired anyone and that it was simply a decision to end Huston’s contract.
Fired, terminated, let go or released from contract might be all the same to some, but Joe Vitalo, president of the Hernando County Teachers Association, said the difference is important — particularly for the teacher who’s been “released.”
In Huston’s case, Vitalo said he had a probationary contract and school officials can end those at any time within the first year of school. Huston won’t be blacklisted from working in other schools within the county and won’t likely have any red flags when other school district officials consider his employment.
“Usually when a teacher is fired, they’re not going to find another job at that district,” Vitalo said. “But in this case, it just means the principal determined that his services were no longer needed at that school and ended his contract. That can happen for a variety of reasons.”
Jason Rogoski, the father of the boy Huston is accused of pushing, wants to prevent Huston from teaching and is seeking to have criminal charges filed against him — despite the state attorney’s office determining that none were warranted.
“I’m still fighting with the state attorney’s office on this. I’m not giving up,” Rogoski said. “I’m also contacting our local representatives to see what can be done to make sure this guy doesn’t teach again.”
According to an HCSO report, Rogoski’s son was playing with one of the percussion instruments on Nov. 22 and was using the wrong mallet, which Huston later said could damage the instrument.
Rogoski’s son told deputies that Huston strongly pushed him into a chair, grabbed his arm and took the mallets away while screaming at him.
Huston told deputies he “sat” Rogoski’s son down in the chair by guiding him there by his shoulders and then simply explained how using that type of mallet could damage the instrument.
A deputy who investigated the incident days later said there was enough evidence and witnesses to charge Huston with battery, but didn’t because Assistant State Attorney Rob Lewis claimed he would not prosecute Huston because the case lacked merit.
Meanwhile, investigation documents from the school district are slated to become public record toward the middle of the month. Vitalo confirmed that they should shed more details about the incident.
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