Former principal defends her status in teacher death threats

Wantage — Kristin Touw, the former principal of the Sussex Middle School, has strongly denied any implications that she may have mishandled death threats made against one of the teachers there last spring. In a telephone interview with The Advertiser-News on Oct. 5, Dr. Edward Izbicki, superintendent of the Sussex-Wantage Regional School District, said that Touw was still in her role as principal of the Sussex Middle School when the first of two threats were issued against a teacher there. In an Oct. 9 telephone interview with The Advertiser-News, Touw said that she hadn’t been notified of the first incident until after she had been placed on administrative leave by the school district last May. Her contract and that of vice principal Teri Haight were not renewed. “I don’t know when the first incident occurred,” said Touw. She said that the teacher had informed Izbicki that Touw “wasn’t even in the building” when the first death threat was painted on the wall of the second floor girls’ bathroom. Touw added that she was no longer working for the school district when the second incident occurred. “This has nothing to do with me leaving the district,” said Touw. She declined to elaborate on the issue in light of a legal settlement that’s being negotiated with the school district. The teacher, who is not currently employed by the school district, declined to be interviewed for this story, deferring all questions to teachers’ union president Sandra Santora. Efforts to contact Santora before The Advertiser-News deadline were unsuccessful.