CANFIELD SCHOOLS Principal's contract in dispute

The board continued its personnel discussions behind closed doors.
CANFIELD -- Nearly 100 people turned out at the Canfield Board of Education meeting Monday night in support of a principal who is having a contract disagreement with the superintendent.
Ronald Infante, principal at Village Middle School, said Superintendent Douglas T. Hiscox told him he could be demoted for refusing to make a lateral move.
"He told me today that my responsibilities would be lessened as the principal of the middle school," Infante said after the board meeting. "I feel, and the attorneys who I spoke to today feel, that's a violation of my contractual rights."
Word of the conflict spread throughout the district quickly.
Infante said Hiscox made the remarks to him only Monday morning. The superintendent first asked Infante to consider a new position Wednesday.
Community support: Teachers, administrators and parents gave Infante a standing ovation before Monday's meeting adjourned, then lined up outside the meeting room to hug the principal and shake his hand.
The issue was not on the meeting agenda, and board members would not reveal what was talked about in an executive session, which interrupted the meeting less than halfway through.
The board announced that the reason for the closed-door meeting was to discuss personnel matters, including lists of contract renewals, two resignations and the appointment of an assistant high school principal, all of which were approved.
Board members and Hiscox left the room quickly after the meeting to head to another executive session, but as people filed out of the building, board member Mark Squicquero returned to the hallway to tell them not to misunderstand the situation -- there was no plan to fire Infante.
Infante said that he's concerned he'll be stripped of some of his responsibilities overseeing the fifth- and sixth-grade staff.
The principal, who has held the position for nine years, also said he was touched by the support.
"I'm overwhelmed by what happened tonight," he said.