Prince George's County principal, teacher on leave after altercation, officials say

SPRINGDALE, Md. - A principal and teacher in Prince George's County have both been placed on leave following an altercation, according to officials.

Prince George's County Public Schools said the incident happened at Ardmore Elementary School near Springdale, Maryland on June 12.

School officials would not indicate if the altercation became physical, but said students may have witnessed the incident. The school sent home a letter informing parents that principal Georgette Gregory would be on leave for the remainder of the school year.

Parents whose children witnessed it all said the principal and teacher hurled expletives at each other while they were in front of third and fourth grade students during recess. Some students heard someone yelling, "Get off me!"

"One of the individuals was yelling that you don't belong here," said a mother of a 10-year-old boy who saw the incident. "He didn't want to repeat what he had heard because that is not the language that we use in our home."

The letter to parents was sent six days after the incident and said in part, "On last Tuesday during recess, an incident occurred that resulted in the police and ambulance being called to the school."

The letter also stated, "The professional school counselor and classroom teachers will be working with students to address any of their questions or concerns."

"[The letter] was inconclusive," said the parent. "It didn't give an actual date. It just said last Tuesday, which could have been any last Tuesday, and it didn't say anything of what my child told me. It just said that there was an incident that was being investigated."

She added, "I'm even in favor of a clean sweep of the school from top to bottom, whatever needs to be done, because I believe we need a fresh start."

The school district said this is a personnel matter and they are continuing their investigation.

Wednesday is the last day of the school year for Ardmore Elementary School.