Van Buren Middle School principal Anthony Giancola developed an addiction to crack cocaine in December, in the midst of personal problems, he confessed to authorities, according to police spokeswoman Laura McElroy.
He’s been using between $200 to $300 worth of the drug per day.
Giancola was arrested after having an undercover officer come to the school where he worked to deliver $20 of crack cocaine to him at 3 o’clock P.M. on Thursday, February 22nd. He’d made an appointment to buy $200 from an undercover agent the night before, but was unable to make it to their meeting.
When the officer made the delivery to Giancola and collected payment, the principal intended to smoke the crack right there in his office. The officer said that he would be uncomfortable, so Principal Giancola escorted him to the school lobby. Other undercover officers were present there, posing as parents. He was immediately arrested and escorted outside to the police car. He was charged with possession and solicitation to purchase the drug on school property. There were already reporters outside waiting.
MaryEllen Elia, the superintendent of the school district, commented that 41 year-old Giancola is resigning. She is supportive of police and the arrest, and stated, “We are in full support of the position the police took in handling this.”
“I’m very disappointed and upset,'” Elia said. “Obviously it’s unacceptable. Everything that can be done will be done relative to charges. I’m extremely disappointed.”
McElroy reports that the police made every attempt to make the arrest quietly and to not draw attention from the students. Principal Giancola was cooperative in the arrest and went quietly. He apologized to the reporters waiting outside.
As shocking as this event is, what is more shocking is some of the reactions from parents, and from the community.
“I can’t believe they would humiliate him like that,” said Shannon Bischel, a parent of a 7th grader at the school. “We all make mistakes and to embarrass him like that is cruel considering all he’s done for the school.” (Morelli, The Tampa Tribune)
On TBO.com, community members are responding to the situation in an open forum. There is a mix of reaction, and surprisingly, some very loyal support. A user going by “kaylee,” writes this:
“A principle who does everything else right, but who has a bad addiction was just arrested in front of his students. I have no idea if the officer’s statement that the man wanted to use the drug at school is true or not: Cops tend to put words in people’s mouths and guns in their hands, so it pushes my level of belief. Regardless, if it’s all about the children, couldn’t they have followed him after school to arrest him? Wouldn’t that have shown real concern for the students? All I know is that it’s too bad that drug addiction is considered a legal issue rather than a health problem, because other than this man’s addiction, the students have lost the leadership of a compassionate, helpful and dedicated human being. What a waste… There’s not enough school workers who really care about the children. But instead of helping him get treatment and putting him back to work, he’ll probably go to prison and more than likely never again be allowed to be as productive as he can be. The drug war short-changes society again.” (http://www.tboforums.com/index.php/forums/viewthread/486/)
What are these people thinking? The use of crack cocaine severely changes the mental capacity and motivations of the user, the addict. They DO become criminals, whether they were previously “good people” or not. And, has no one considered who Giancola thought he was inviting to the school to provide him with his drug? Are crack dealers safe people to have on school premises? If this man truly cared about his job and the kids he was working with, would he invite such an unsavory character to the school to conduct their business? He was probably no longer thinking of such safety issues, with his altered state of mind. He is not the person he once was, this community leader and supposed hero, nor will he ever come close to regaining that identity without serious rehabilitation.
Are people so naive to think that this man deserves his post? He has shown that he has the capability to lose all control and all judgment. Perhaps he can recover, but he’ll never be able to hold a post such as school principal again. And parents ought to be grateful, as addicts are often prone to relapse. Is he a good guy deep down? Maybe. Trustworthy to work with children? A solid NO, from this parent.
Works Cited:
“Middle School Principal Charged With Buying Crack” By KEITH MORELLI
The Tampa Tribune
http://www.tboforums.com/index.php/forums/viewthread/486/
