LOCKPORT, N.Y. (WKBW) — A school superintendent officially has his job back two months after he was charged with a DWI.
The Starpoint Board of Education voted to reinstate Dr. Sean Croft on Monday night.
On August 31, Croft crashed into a tree in West Seneca.
Responding officers claim he showed signs of intoxication and failed sobriety tests.
The following week, he was placed on administrative leave by the board.
I was at night's meeting where the board chose to bring Croft back from administrative leave.
Starpoint CSD BOE President Jeffrey Duncan said, "Starpoint Central School District Board of Education is announcing this evening, that Dr. Sean Croft will resume his responsibilities as superintendent with full support from the board."
The meeting took about seven minutes.
The board went into executive session immediately after.
Board President Jeffrey Duncan announced on behalf of the board that the decision to reinstate the superintendent was carefully considered, given his long-standing dedication and positive contribution to the community.
Duncan was asked for an on-camera interview but he insisted that releasing a statement made him more comfortable.
The full statement from the BOE, reads:
The Starpoint Central School District Board of Education today announced that Dr. Sean Croft will resume his responsibilities as Superintendent with full support from the Board.
The Board came to this decision following careful consideration and reflection, balancing the seriousness of the incident with Dr. Croft’s long standing dedication and positive contributions to this school community.
It is apparent through our conversations with Dr. Croft that he has taken responsibility for his action and has demonstrated a commitment to personal growth.
To support our shared goals and ensure accountability, Dr. Croft agreed to sign a revised contract approved by the Board.
Our unanimous decision today is rooted in the trust that Dr. Croft can continue his progress and can uphold our values with a continuation of meaningful actions.
Dr. Croft will return to work on November 14.
Duncan said, "To support our shared goals and shared accountability, the board has revised Dr. Croft's contract. We anticipate the board will authorize those contract revisions later in this meeting."
Dr. Croft was initially arrested on the DWI charge just days before the start of the school year.
One district staff member called the alleged drunk driving a "mistake."
"It would have been a shame that they would let someone go from a mistake, but it's still a mistake. We tell our children if you make a mistake, you will be forgiven and you work towards not doing it again," Starpoint CSD Special Programs Department Diane Martineau said.
Diane Martineau works in the district's special programs department.
She said it would be nice to have Dr. Croft back, citing that he led the district through many crises including the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I think it will be a big morale booster because the unknown was hard and didn't know what was going on," Martineau said. "Mrs. Maureen Braunscheidel did a fabulous job while he was away."
There were only four people at Monday night's board meeting.
However, in September, I attended the school board meeting where more than a dozen staff and parents were present and shared their stance on whether he should keep his role as superintendent. That story can be found here.
Dr. Croft will return to work Nov. 14, just two days after his Nov. 12 Erie County Court date for a DWI charge.
