Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - The calls for change at Nardin Academy in Buffalo are getting louder as at least nine members of the Board of Trustees for the private school have issued a joint statement calling for the resignation of the school president and chairman of the board.
"The current situation and subsequent public attention of Nardin Academy has damaged the integrity and reputation of our historic institution," the statement reads. "As such, we are calling for the immediate resignation of the President and Board Chair."
The statement is not representative of the full board, however. Nine members are named on the statement and they indicate there are other trustees who support the call for the resignations, but have chosen not to provide their names for personal reasons.
On Thursday, dozens of students staged a walkout in support of many teachers and in opposition to the leadership practices of current president Sandra Betters.
Nearly 2 thousand signatures are currently on a Change.org petition calling for the termination of Betters as the head of the institution.
"Dr. Betters has been detrimental to the entire school community. Her leadership has alienated staff and students, creating a toxic work and learning environment," the petition reads. "She has failed to uphold the values and traditions that have made our school a respected institution in the community." The petition goes on to accuse Betters leadership as not being inline with the 'core values' of the school.
In the trustees statement provided to WBEN late Friday, the call is for the immediate resignation of Betters and the board chair. "We do not take such an action lightly," trustees state, "But as members of the Nardin Academy Board of Trustees, our primary responsibility is making decisions that are in the best interests of Nardin Academy and our students."
In addition to the members of the board who are pushing for the leadership changes, the Kenneth L. and Katherine G. Koessler Family Foundation Inc. is joining in the calls for change, issuing the following statement Saturday:
"The Kenneth L. and Katherine G. Koessler Family Foundation Inc. joins the nine Nardin Academy Board of Trustees as well as faculty, staff, students, and other stakeholders such as the Keane family who have called for the immediate resignation of the President and Board of Trustees Chair."
"The Kenneth L. and Katherine G. Koessler Family Foundation Inc. has a long history of philanthropic support of Nardin Academy, but we feel very strongly that until this change in leadership has been made, we will be withholding any future financial support of Nardin Academy."
