2 The Post NEWS Sunday, February 8, 2004 Teacher allegedly involved with student resigns By MARK GUYDISH For The Post DALLAS TWP. — A Dallas High School teacher who al- legedly had a ‘sexual relation- ship with a stu- dent has re- signed, and the School Dis- trict is facing the threat of a lawsuit from the family of the girl involved. At its regular work session Feb. 2, the board — with two i 4 i Greg Solfanelli members absent — voted unan- imously to accept the resigna- tion of Greg Solfanelli, effective Jan. 28. Solfanelli has been on paid leave since Jan. 19 while the district conducted an inves- tigation. Superintendent Gilbert Grif- fiths read a brief statement say- ing no one could comment on the case for two reasons: It is still under investigation by po- lice, and the district is facing “the threat of a lawsuit,” from the girl's attorney. Griffiths would not elaborate, but said the district has “re- ceived a letter” from the attor- ney, and referred questions to School Board Solicitor Ben Jones III. Attempts to reach Jones on Monday night failed. Attempts to reach the girl’s at- .torney, C.J. Buffalino III, also failed. Solfanelli’s resignation means the district will stop an internal investigation, but police are still looking into the matter and could file criminal charges. Griffiths said Solfanelli’s res- ignation does not spare him from the risk of losing his teaching: license. Everything the district learned so far will be forwarded to the state De- partment of Education, where the Professional Standards and Practices Committee would make that decision. Griffiths, who is on that com- mittee, has said losing his Pennsylvania license also mean Solfanelli could not teach in 47 other states. Solfanelli could also surren- der his license before action is taken by the state, but Griffiths said that would make no differ- ence. If Solfanelli later asked to have his license reinstated the standards committee would re- view all findings in the case be- fore making a decision. Road (continued from page 1) nance,” mostly because no one lives along the stretch, he said. John Cybulski of the Dallas Borough Road Department said widening work began last sum- mer. Thirty to 40 trees were re- moved and two catch basins to stop runoff from entering the reservoir were installed. A 22- inch-thick gravel top is planned for installation this spring. R.N. Fitch & Sons of Dallas was awarded the majority of the work. The Dallas Borough Road Department is assisting, Because the road has gone virtually unused, there is illegal trash dumping in the area, said Moskovitz. “We've removed de- bris, carpeting and tires.” He hopes more traffic on the road will have the side benefit of cur- tailing that activity. Walter Chamberlain of the Luzerne County Conservation District said a number of simi- lar projects completed in the Back Mountain in recent years have aimed at reducing runoff in the region’s streams and lakes. Runoff not only pollutes the water with dirt and chemicals, it can have a “harmful effect on aquatic life,” said Josh Long- more, also with the Conserva- tion District. “Any project protecting water that feeds into the reservoir seems like a good project to me,” commented Chamberlain. The reservoir provides water to Wyoming Valley communities. Although there have been similar projects in recent years, none has received as large a grant as the current Dallas Bor- ough project. Two other Back Mountain Principal (continued from page 1) came a teacher, and wanted to come back to work where I went to school,” she said. “I re- ally think it's a tribute to them.” Since graduating from Lake- Lehman, Halowich has worked at Bishop O’Reilly High School in Kingston and in the Pleasant Valley School District near East Stroudsburg. She always knew she wanted to be a teacher — except for a brief stint in ninth grade when she wanted to be a genetic engineer. “I was the kind of kid that would come home and play school,” she said. Although she loved teach- ing, Halowich said she quickly realized she wanted to be in- volved with more of the educa- tional “big picture,” something she couldn’t do from the class- room. So she went back to East Stroudsburg University and completed a master’s de- gree in elementary education and an administrative certifica- tion. For her, the beauty of the as- sistant principal position lies in the diversity of items she takes care of, from bus and cafeteria duty to class scheduling, parental contact and helping students with locker trouble. “One minute you could be do- ing something that has to do with discipline, and the next it could be something with how were going to run our sched- ule.” “I love it. It’s very challeng- ing.” : Halowich has taken on the new position at the same time “I was the kind of kid that would come home and play school.” Tracey Halowich Assistant Principal Lake-Lehman wv «Junior/Senior High School junior and senior high students are spending their first year in the combined Junior-Senior High building. A large-scale renovation and expansion proj- ect was mostly completed by the start of this school year. She feels her time last spring as acting assistant principal helped prepare her to meet the challenge of the transitional year. “There’s always going to be something that comes up,” she said about the change. “You just have to learn to adjust. We've learned a lot over the last year.” Some of the same teachers who taught at Lehman when she was a student are still there. Last year she handed out diplomas at commencement alongside co-principal Robert Roberts, who was in adminis- tration when she graduated. “I don’t think people get this opportunity — to be able to come back and teach at the school you graduated from. I'm very proud to say that ‘I taught at Lake-Lehman, I graduated from Lake-Lehman, and now I'm an administrator at Lake- Lehman.’ ” Send your news to The Post by e-mail. thepost@leader.net Digital photos welcome, too! POST PHOTO/ERIN YOUNGMAN Dallas Borough has reveived a $30,000 state grant to im- prove a previously unmaintained portion of Resovoir Road. - projects that received Dirt and Gravel Road Grants, totalling a combined $7,850, have includ- ed Halowich Road, Harveys Lake, completed in 2002, and a state-owned road off of Smith - Pond Road in Jackson Town- ship, also completed in 2002. Speed (continued from page 1) The letters will be sent to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission this week as part of an application requesting the limit. The proposed regulation would limit speeds to 45 mph during the day, on weekends and holidays between Memori- al Day and Labor Day. The Harveys Lake Lions Club has signed on, but most important, said Squitieri, is the letter of support he received Wednesday from borough coun- cil. The group voted unani- mously at its January meeting to provide the letter. “Borough council represents the largest number of con- stituents. They represent all of the borough,” said Squitieri. Other organizations provid- ing support include the Har- veys Lake Women’s Club and the Harveys Lake Crime Watch group. Acting Lions Club President Pete Austin said his group was unanimous in its decision to support the measure. “It’s obvious something’s got to be done. It’s just an accident waiting to happen.” Austin said the combination of increased boat speeds, addi- tional year-round residents and more visitors has created a haz- ardous situation. Squitieri said he hasn’t had any negative reaction to the proposition, but has been ques- tioned about how the under- * staffed Fish and Boat Commis- sion will enforce the limit. Squitieri responds that the is- sue for him isn’t as much about enforcement as it is about cre- ating basic guidelines. After the speed limit applica- tion is sent to Harrisburg, a process will begin that will in- volve watercraft traffic studies and public comment sessions. According to the Fish and Boat Commission, the penalty for breaking a lake speed limit is similar to that assigned for speeding in a car, a $50 fine plus court costs, in most cases. The Harveys Lake Yacht Club, the only organization to not provide a letter of support, could not be reached for com- ment. Wey AUTO PR Blaster Penatrating Catalyst £13.26 ew, #1698 NAPs POWER 65 Month Battery " PENG, 245, 26, 268, 56, 58, 7, 397 Thr Bead in Relste MAPA Gold Cabin Air Filters Fresh Air inside Your Car... Change § Your Cabin Air Filter Every 12,000 Miles # li gi DALLAS AUTO 668 Memorial Hwy., Dallas = 675-2143 PARTS would . Thefts (continued from page 1) group of persons,” said Bal- . avage about the possible con- nection. “We think they might be the same ones, but we havent been able to confirm it for sure.” Court papers filed about the Dallas and Dallas Township thefts state: Police were dispatched to the area of Parish Street at 2:46 a.m. for a report of two suspi- cious males walking toward Huntsville Road and checking cars for unlocked doors. When police approached, Willis was stopped and Bower fled on foot. Police then detained Willis, who had a blue compact disc player, an open pack of Phillies Berry Blunts and a cig- arette D/C adaptor in his hands. While searching Willis for weapons, police found large amounts of loose change in multiple pockets, flashlights and compact discs. He was then arrested. While searching for the sec- ond suspect, police spotted footprints in a yard on Park Street. Police followed the foot- prints and found a camouflage jacket that contained loose change and a black vinyl case with a Night Owl Optics Night Vision Spotting Scope at the rear of a home. Bower was found nearby hid- ing near a fence and some bushes at the rear of Park Street. Bower cooperated and identified a majority of the ve- hicles that were robbed. Police said a few victims of the thefts have been identified and contacted, but the majority were not. The thefts are under investi- gation. The Kingston Township Police Department will seek an , interview with Bower and Willis as part of their ongoing investigation. Times Leader reporter Ron Laeback contributed to this arti- cle. SENIOR MENUS Senior Citizens Centers sponsored by the Area Agency on aging for Luzerne and Wyoming Counties offers hot noon meals Monday through Friday to people 60 years of age or older. Donations from par- ticipants are gratefully accept- ed and needed in order to ex- pand this program. The follow- ing is the menu for the week of Feb.. 9-13. All menus include margarine, milk and coffee. The Senior Center is located at 22 Rice St., Dallas. MONDAY: Chile con carne with cheese, tossed salad, chilled pears. TUESDAY: sausage links, hash browns, brocolli, blueberry muffin. WEDNESDAY: Stuffed shells with tomato sauce, Italian mixed vegetables, grapes. THURSDAY: Roast beef au jus, noodles, hot fruit compote, carrots, sherbet. FRIDAY: Stuffed chicken breast, stuffed baked potatoes, Roman vegetable medley, cher- ry pie. Egg omelet, PROPERTY TRANSFERS The following property trans- fers were recorded recently at the Luzerne County Court- house: Estate of Gerald M. Oppen- heimer to Michaelle Novak, 108 Orchard East, Dallas, $109,000. Douglas J. Higgins to An- drew Roan and spouse, Dallas Township, $80,000. William Oplinger and spouse tax claim to Charles J. Alaimo, Fern Ridge, Dallas Township, $555. William Miller and spouse to Joseph Stankus and spouse, Franklin Township, $15,000. Brian Lasher and spouse to Basil Barbacci and spouse, Franklin Township, $30,000. Thomas Ballaro to William Horner, Harveys Lake, $36,000. Hanover Homes North Corp. to Doug Poslock and spouse, Rolling Meadows, Jackson Township, $235,165. David Mariner and spouse to Robert K. Mericle and spouse, Jackson Township, $852,000. Wayne Gullett and spouse to Adamchick Arthur Wagner and spouse, 1210 Meadowcrest Drive, Jack- son Township, $210,000. Percy Love and spouse to Christopher O’Brien, Midway: Manor, Kingston Township, $128,000. Augustus Argentaiti Jr. to Craig Coburn and spouse, Kingston Township, $76,000. Maryann Voitek to Joseph Voitek and spouse, Kingston Township, $140,000. Judith E. Gomba to Richard and spouse, Kingston Township, $130,000. Judith E. Gomba to Richard Adamchick and spouse, Kingston Township, $10,000. Judith E. Gomba to Richard Adamchick and spouse, Kingston Township, $10,000. Estate of Leila Morckel to Francis P. Parulis, Trucksville, Kingston Township, $65,000. Eric H. Wolfson to Michael Kizis and spouse, Lehman Township, $738,500. Edward Warkevicz and spouse to Frederick Sanfanan- dre and spouse, Lehman Town- ship, $6,000. Make ; alentine's Day Special SF 57 > A pint Ly, 30% On All Jewelry ewelry wonsa ns 18 Church St. Dallas, PA « 675-5872 TIMESeLEADER -by to order. THE POST 15 N. MAIN ST., WILKES-BARRE PA 18711 » 570-675-5211 any misunderstandings created by a story. Call 675-5211. Have a story idea? Please call, we'd like to hear about it. Letters: The Post prints letters of local interest. Send letters to: Editor, The Post, 15 N. Main St., Wilkes-Barre PA 18711. All letters must be signed and include a phone number at which we can reach the author. Deadline is Noon, Tuesday prior to publication. Want a photo that has appeared? We can provide color prints of pho- : tos taken by our staff. Prices: 5x7 - $12; 8x10 - $15. 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