The Hornell City School District has announced that all charges against the high school’s assistant principal, Eli Marcus, have been dropped by a Steuben County Court. Marcus had previously been charged with ten counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child in the spring of 2022, following an investigation into the alleged searching of students for contraband.
Carol Eaton, the Secretary to the Superintendent of Hornell City School District, released a statement saying, “We are glad to have this part of the legal process behind us, so that we can remain fully focused on the education of our students.”
Marcus and the Superintendent of Hornell City School District, Jeremy Palotti, were both accused of failing to report or direct a report of suspected child abuse or maltreatment of a child, as mandated reporters. However, the charge of Failing to Make a Required Report was based on allegations from October 2021.
Palotti’s charges were dismissed in December 2022, and now with the charges against Marcus also dismissed, the school district will begin an internal investigation run by an independent entity. According to Eaton, the district was advised not to investigate these claims internally during the criminal investigation process.
No information has been released regarding who will run the investigation or how long it is expected to take. The Hornell City School District has stated that they will not be making any further comments at this time.
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