The USD 253 Board of Education will be searching for a new athletics director and assistant principal for Emporia High School next year following a special meeting Friday afternoon.
During that meeting, the board chose to rescind its offer of a preliminary administrator contract to current USD 251 North Lyon County Elementary and Junior High School Principal Corey Wiltz who was selected to fill those roles back in January.
KVOE has reached out to the board and Wiltz for comment on the decision. Those requests for comment have not been returned, however, the district did release a brief statement following the meeting.
“It is important that the district continues to move forward as we keep the best interest of the students, staff, and the community at the forefront. A replacement for the EHS Assistant Principal/Athletic Director will be sought in the upcoming weeks.”
The Board’s decision comes the same day as a report by Kansas Association of School Boards Assistant Executive Director for Legal Services Angela Stallbaumer was released related to an incident on a USD 251 school bus earlier this year. The report stated that North Lyon County eighth-grade student Izzy Dieker was sexually harassed for saying she was a lesbian during a bus ride home in February.
In the report, Stallbaumer says the bus driver, Kristi Gadino, singled out Dieker for her comment at a time when other students were using more coarse language or violating certain bus travel policies without reprisal. It also says Wiltz was at fault in his decision to “double down” on disciplinary action while failing to review the bus footage in a timely manner and respond to the family with initial findings but keeping Dieker from riding the afternoon bus.
Whether or not there is any correlation between the report and the rescinding of Wiltz’s contract offer is unclear.
Prior to his tenure with USD 251, Wiltz was a technology teacher at Emporia High School for nearly fifteen years, the last six of which he served as the Technology Department chair. If Wiltz wants to continue at North Lyon County in his current role, that path is highly unlikely. In March, the USD 251 North Lyon County Board of Education hired Robert Hampton as principal. Hampton worked with Blair at USD 114 Riverside for several years before Blair was hired as USD 251’s superintendent last year.
