Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas Volume 146, No.

28

Chester CountyPRESS
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
By Steve Hoffman Staff Writer Oxford Area High School Principal Dr. Dave Madden returns from his suspension this month but the schools special education program remains in a state of flux. Sources say that the settlement agreement that the district reached with Madden in June restricts him from working with special education students once the new school year begins. Meanwhile, Jenny LeSage, the districts director of special education, unexpectedly resigned last month, in part because Madden was reinstated as the leader of the high school following allegations that he acted unprofessionally toward and discriminated against a special needs student. In her resignation letter to Superintendent Dr. Raymond Fischer, LeSage called the work environment at the high school one that allows for the discrimination of students {and} disrespect to parents and staff. She says that Madden is the most to blame for creating that environment. The departure of the director of special education represents the latest fallout from incidents that led to Maddens suspension in late March, after allegations surfaced that he sent a derogatory text message about a student to another staff member during an Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting that they were both participating in. A subsequent investigation by district officials revealed that Madden had also sent out a series of insensitive emails about the student, who was a twelfth-grader during the 201112 school year. The family of the student filed a formal grievance against Madden, alleging that the text message, the series of emails, and the principals attitude and behavior toward their son established a pattern of discrimination and intolerance toward his disability. The family also filed a complaint against the

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INSIDE

Oxfords special education woes continue

needed leave stand. Inot right.to makesto make athat this This is It me sick was allowed to happen. ~ Jenny LeSage, former OASD director of special education

60 Cents

According to sources, high school principal Dr. Dave Madden will be prohibited from working with special education students when the new school year begins. The director of special education resigned last month because Madden was reinstated. And the district will soon make a six-figure settlement to end a discrimination case.

school district with the Office of Civil Rights.

Continued on Page 6A

I cannot work where these actions are dismissed as minor infractions

By Steve Hoffman Staff Writer Jenny LeSage did not arrive at the decision to leave her job as the director of special education easily. During her 18 months in the position for the Oxford Area School District, she found much about the job that she likedthe teachers were skilled and cared about the students. Superintendent Dr. Raymond Fischer was supportive and helpful. Working with students with special needs and their parents to develop an individualized academic program that will enable each student to succeed can be challenging but rewarding work. When I first came to Oxford, I found it to be a very nice school district, LeSage explained. The administrators were willing to listen and work with me collaboratively. As the director of special eduContinued on Page 6A

Nicole Zell gets ready for music festival......1B

Clothesline Art Show invites browsing.......5A

Young aviator camp gives kids flights of fancy

By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer When Jon Martin was 12 years old, he would often accidentally affix his fingers together with the glue he was using to make model airplanes. These setbacks, however uncomfortable, did not derail what he already knew was true: He was in love with aviation, with the idea of flying, and he longed to know what it would be like to eventually be behind the controls of an aircraft. By the time he was 16, there he was, taking off down the runway at the New Garden Flying Field in Avondale, unaccompanied by any instructors, about to make his first solo flight. Martin did three take-offs and landings by himself. The instructor told me, Im not doing anything but sitting here, he said. So she got out, and it didnt hit me until I was in the air getting ready to turn crosswind, that I looked to my right and didnt see an instructor there, when I realized, This is for real. Now, years later, in his capacity as airport manager at the New Garden Flying Field, Martin has brought that dream with him and placed it in the hands of hundreds of young people fascinated by aviation. Now in its fourth year, the Future Aviators Camp at New Garden is offering two oneweek camps from July 9 to 13 and Aug. 13 to 17 that give children ages 8 through 15 the chance to discover and participate in the joys of flight. The camps, coordinated by Martin and New Garden Flight School owner Court Dunn, expose children to every aspect of aviation, from Photo by Richard L. Gaw learning the sci- Brothers Nigel and Simon Kail of Landenberg, along with ence behind flight, Ethan Reich of Landenberg, stand before Simons handto flying remote made rocket. control airplanes and building model rockets, as well as having the opportunity to fly an aircraft with a certified flight instructor. Frequently, guest pilots give flight demonstrations to campers. In addition, each camp will take a field trip to the aviation museum at Wa s h i n g t o n s Dulles Airport. When its time to cool off, the camp offers campers a large water slide. A young person walks away from the camp not only having had a heck of a lot of fun throughout the week, but with knowing the principles of weight, lift, thrust and drag, as well as the different classes of air space, Martin said. Its a unique camp for everyone. The vision of the camp began four years ago, mostly out of necessity, rather than design. Court and I looked at the statistics of pilots, and saw that the average age of aviators was increasing, Martin said. Its not because kids arent playing with remote control planes, its because the accessibility of airports is closing up. Its very unusual now to find an airport where a young boy or girl can come to with his or her mom and dad and a picnic lunch and sit out and watch the airplanes come in and take off. In 2008, Martin and Dunn decided to do something about
Continued on Page 3A

Jim Herr's book about business and life......3B

INDEX
Classifieds.................8B Calendar of Events.......2B Obituaries....................6B Opinion...........................8A Police Blotter.................9A

Healing Northern Ireland

Teens learn about acceptance and America
By John Chambless Staff Writer When she learned that she would be spending four weeks in America this summer, Caroline Anderson made up a bucket list of things she wanted to do here, including shopping at Walmart and eating at Taco Bell. Shes crossed those two off her list, and is well on her way to having a life-changing month while living with the Bussard family of Oxford. Caroline, 15, who lives in Portstewart, Northern Ireland, was selected to be part of Ulster Project Delaware, a program that brings 18 Protestant and Catholic boys and girls from Northern Ireland to Delaware each summer to live with American host families. Begun in 1976, during the depths of The Troubles that wracked Northern Ireland, UPD is now the longest active branch of the project. Drawing teens from the towns of Coleraine, Portadown and Banbridge, its goal is to build bridges of friendship between Catholic and Protestant teens that will remain when they return home and face the divisions that still exist there. The month is packed with activities, trips and team-building exercises, as well as service projects and backyard parties

Something fishy in New Garden

By Uncle Irvin The elected supervisors of New Garden Township have approved PREITs plan for White Clay Park Shopping Center, not once, but twice. Yet, the June 27 issue of the Chester County Press reported that more than $17,000 of taxpayer money has been spent to fight an appeal in Chester County Court of Common Pleas to negate a waiver the supervisors approved by a 3-2 vote. All of a sudden comes a group raising funds to appeal the 3-2 decision that would allow the developer to sell commercial condominiums in lieu of renting.
Continued on Page 6A

Photo by John Chambless

2007 The Chester County Press

Caroline Anderson (left) of Portstewart, Northern Ireland, with her American host teen, Rebecca Bussard of Oxford.

that let teens some of whom may never have known someone of another faith -- become friends. Born in 1996, Caroline has

grown up in a very different Northern Ireland than the one torn apart by religious, political and military conflict beginning
Continued on Page 6B

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