Preschool teacher decries her firing with no investigation

YOUNGSTOWN

After her termination Tuesday after being accused of dragging a 4-year-old preschooler, Jenn Lohr and her lawyer question why her former employer, Alta Head Start, did not conduct an investigation.

Lohr, employed by Alta for two years, was fired by Alta after officials said she dragged the preschool student down the hallway Monday at Programs of Promise at Wilson, in the former Wilson school building on Gibson Street. The episode was captured in a photo by a Youngstown School District employee.

Lohr said she’s devastated by the outcome.

“I’ve worked very hard to become a teacher, and I would never hurt any child,” she said. “I have always been an advocate for children, and I’m being destroyed in the public for a snapshot.”

The city schools’ preschool program started collaborating with Alta Head Start in December to offer all-day preschool five days a week in the district’s six elementary schools. School district spokeswoman Denise Dick said the 69 students there have “behavioral or emotional issues who have difficulty in traditional classrooms or schools.” It houses students from preschool through 12th grade.

Lohr said her termination as co-teacher was immediate and done without investigation by Alta or the city district.

“It is truly a disservice to my client by her own employer not investigating the incident,” said Lohr’s attorney, Albert Palombaro of Youngstown.

Joe Shorokey, Alta Behavioral Health chief executive officer, said he would not comment on the lack of an investigation. “We made what we thought was the best decision for our organization,” he said.

Dick said the city district didn’t terminate Lohr. It simply asked her not to return to the school.

Read more about the matter in Saturday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.