Cross
of Christ school fires principal
by
Dawn Abbey
ANTHEM
– The abrupt dismissal of Principal Lavonne “Bon” Pappert
by the board of Cross of Christ Christian School on Sept.15
sent shockwaves through the school’s community.
School
officials and Pappert did not discuss the action in detail.
Both parties instead made vague comments.
The
board called a meeting on Monday to explain their unanimous
decision. More than 100 people attended, many of whom expressed
their support and friendship for Pappert while acknowledging
the difficulty of the board’s decision.
Pastor
Kevin Kosberg and board members made brief statements before
fielding questions from the assembly.
Board
member Tom Healy, now interim principal, told The Desert
Advocate the official reason for her dismissal was “differences
in the execution of the vision of church and school, and
ongoing issues that could not be resolved.” He did not elaborate
or explain in detail what that meant.
In
answer to questions raised at the meeting about student
safety, Healy stated, “No child was in jeopardy in any way.”
He told parents that safety was never an issue.
The
board declined to answer when asked if the termination was
a legal matter.
Parent
Todd Nessler, like many parents at the meeting, said it
wasn’t the board action that disturbed him and his wife
Lysa so much as the way it was done.
Teachers
assured parents that they had spoken with the children to
avoid having them feel “abandoned” by the exit of the popular
principal. Healy stressed that they wanted the school to
continue on with the sense of family and excellent education
that all have come to appreciate.
After
the meeting, Nessler said he was satisfied with the board’s
explanation.
Contacted
by The Desert Advocate, Pappert said she “appreciated the
opportunity to give all sides, but my statement is not going
to impact change.”
Pappert
declined to give details, saying only that “parents should
take their energy and direct it back into their children.
We all worked so hard to get the school together.”
