MANATEE (FL)
East County Observer
02/03/05
By Christine Suh
When the news hit that Joseph Gilpin, assistant
principal at Haile Middle School, was suspended
for allegations of sexual abuse in the late
1960s, parent Lisa Veltri said she supported the
decision. And like the Manatee County School
Board, she would wait for the outcome of a
private investigation before drawing any
conclusions.
At the same time, she said although disturbing,
the announcement wasn't shocking. Gilpin's
behavior around children didn't seem appropriate
for an educator.
In fact, Gilpin had been accused of inappropriate
behavior with students in Manatee schools as
early as 1996 and as late as last November.
According to Manatee County Sheriff's Office
reports, three Haile students accused Gilpin of
inappropriate behavior on Nov. 3. Investigators
questioned the students as well as Gilpin. The
statements among the parties conflicted, and the
investigators found no evidence of criminal
violation.
Veltri wished there was some mechanism to catch
people who fall through the cracks of the
school's background check.