Official's idea would help fund lawsuit

A principal publicly shamed a third-grader falsely accused of stealing.
ELIZABETH, Pa. (AP) -- A newly elected school board member is willing to start a legal fund to help the family of an 8-year-old student file a lawsuit against the board.
Ronald J. Skrinjorich, who will join the Elizabeth Forward school board Dec. 7, said the money could be used by the parents of Katie White -- who was falsely accused of stealing $5 from another student and then publicly shamed by her principal -- to sue the district or the superintendent.
Board Vice President Walter W. Gibbons was at a loss to respond to Skrinjorich's idea.
"To each his own," Gibbons said. "There's not much I can say about it."
What happened
The controversy stems from an event in September, when William Penn Elementary School Principal Marlene Whitby paraded Katie from class to class, calling her a liar and thief. Soon after, the student who made the accusation recanted his story.
The school district suspended Whitby for three days after an investigation.
Katie's father, Ryan White, said any money Skrinjorich raises would be helpful.
"I can't do it alone," said White, who is contemplating a lawsuit.
White said he consulted with a lawyer who said it would cost $1,800 up front and $200 an hour to take the case.
Any chance of a lawsuit might have been avoided had the district stuck to a deal it made with the Whites -- for Whitby to apologize in front of the school and school board, White said. Whitby apologized privately to Katie, a third-grader, but not publicly.
Whitby, who is paid $89,000 annually, has not commented on the issue.
Skrinjorich, 47, of Forward, said he didn't raise the issue during the campaign.
"But that's why I ran," he said, "to do the right thing."
The school district is in suburban Pittsburgh.
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