There are two sides to every story. It’s one of the basic tenets of journalism.
That’s why yesterday I was desperately hoping we would hear back from Mark Duncan.
He’s the assistant principal at Academy Park High School in Sharon Hill. And today he finds himself in the news. That’s because Duncan, 50, has been criminally charged from an incident that happened in the school last Friday.
At most schools, the title of assistant principal means you’re the disciplinarian. The tough guy, as it were. It’s your job to keep students in line. It’s a tough job, one that very often does not win you a lot of friends.
That disciplinarian role appears to be what Duncan was doing when he became involved in a verbal argument with a student.
According to the affidavit for his arrest, Duncan said this to the student: “Go ahead, turn around, do something, I’ll kill you.” The statement was overheard by students, aides and school police officers.
Duncan now finds himself charged with terroristic threats, harassment by annoyance and disorderly conduct. He was arraigned in front of Magisterial District Judge Edward J. Gannon. He’s free on $10,000 unsecured bail.
Unfortunately, Duncan, who lives in Collegeville, did not return phone calls yesterday. No one at the school is saying much, citing employee confidentiality and referring to it as a “personnel matter.”
That’s too bad. Because something tells me there is another side to this story that we have not heard. That happens a lot in criminal cases. We get the paperwork that lays out the case used to file charges. We often don’t get any other version. A lot of people don’t believe that is especially fair. It is a legitimate argument.
We reported the charges as they were filed. But I’m wondering what else happened here? Was this just a slip of the tongue during a heated argument? It’s pretty strong language, but something tells me Duncan did not mean it literally. What precipitated the altercation between Duncan and the student? Did the student do anything to provoke Duncan? Is there any kind of history between the two of them.
One thing that stands out to me in the affidavit is that the comment was heard not just by students, but also by aides and school police officers. Did any of them provide any context for what was said?
The students we talked to at Academy Park yesterday for the most part seemed surprised by the charges filed against Duncan. Some admitted he was a bit of a disciplinarian, but that he also was known for treating students “as if we were his own kids.”
This morning Duncan stands charged with treating at least one of them criminally.
Eventually, that elusive “other side” of the story. I, for one, can’t wait to hear it.
That’s why yesterday I was desperately hoping we would hear back from Mark Duncan.
He’s the assistant principal at Academy Park High School in Sharon Hill. And today he finds himself in the news. That’s because Duncan, 50, has been criminally charged from an incident that happened in the school last Friday.
At most schools, the title of assistant principal means you’re the disciplinarian. The tough guy, as it were. It’s your job to keep students in line. It’s a tough job, one that very often does not win you a lot of friends.
That disciplinarian role appears to be what Duncan was doing when he became involved in a verbal argument with a student.
According to the affidavit for his arrest, Duncan said this to the student: “Go ahead, turn around, do something, I’ll kill you.” The statement was overheard by students, aides and school police officers.
Duncan now finds himself charged with terroristic threats, harassment by annoyance and disorderly conduct. He was arraigned in front of Magisterial District Judge Edward J. Gannon. He’s free on $10,000 unsecured bail.
Unfortunately, Duncan, who lives in Collegeville, did not return phone calls yesterday. No one at the school is saying much, citing employee confidentiality and referring to it as a “personnel matter.”
That’s too bad. Because something tells me there is another side to this story that we have not heard. That happens a lot in criminal cases. We get the paperwork that lays out the case used to file charges. We often don’t get any other version. A lot of people don’t believe that is especially fair. It is a legitimate argument.
We reported the charges as they were filed. But I’m wondering what else happened here? Was this just a slip of the tongue during a heated argument? It’s pretty strong language, but something tells me Duncan did not mean it literally. What precipitated the altercation between Duncan and the student? Did the student do anything to provoke Duncan? Is there any kind of history between the two of them.
One thing that stands out to me in the affidavit is that the comment was heard not just by students, but also by aides and school police officers. Did any of them provide any context for what was said?
The students we talked to at Academy Park yesterday for the most part seemed surprised by the charges filed against Duncan. Some admitted he was a bit of a disciplinarian, but that he also was known for treating students “as if we were his own kids.”
This morning Duncan stands charged with treating at least one of them criminally.
Eventually, that elusive “other side” of the story. I, for one, can’t wait to hear it.
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