Demoted LH principal says ‘it was time to make a change’
The former Laurel Highlands High School principal who was moved to another district building in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations against two teachers said Wednesday that his transfer was not the result of any wrongdoing.
John Diamond, who is now assistant principal at the middle school, said he had been reassigned on March 31, switching places with Bobbi Downs. Diamond said Superintendent Jesse Wallace had informed him the board had decided to swap the roles.
In light of a 2023 case involving a high school teacher, and the latest allegations against two other teachers, Diamond said the board felt “it was time to make a change.”
Diamond said he has been with the district for 26 years — 24 as high school principal and two as assistant principal.
Wallace did not respond to several requests for comment regarding the change.
High school social studies teacher Martin Gatti was arrested on March 19 after being accused of pressuring a student into kissing him. A week later, Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps instructor Daniel Cervone was arrested after a former student claimed they had frequently engaged in sexual contact in his office between 2019 and 2020, including one instance of sex at the school.
The board voted to fire Gatti and suspend Cervone at a special meeting last month.
In 2023, former high school math teacher Ashley Thurby-Kolesar, was charged with — and eventually sentenced to probation for — illegally recording video of a student who had asked her about help getting a better grade in her class, which she then sent to another student.
The case arose out of a district investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct, which were then referred to state police. The state suspended Thurby-Kolesar’s teaching certificate in September 2025.
Diamond said he had not personally been accused or investigated for any misconduct. Regarding the other incidents, he said the district had acted swiftly once notified.
“No one had knowledge of those individuals and what they were (accused of) doing,” he said.
At a special board meeting on April 1, the board voted to hire outside counsel to review district policies and procedures. Addressing a public comment about the principal transfer, board President Marcus DiNunno said the board had recommended it as a way to address public concerns.
“While I understand that change can be difficult, these moves were the least disruptive option aimed at enhanced safety, accountability and for the growth of the administrators,” he said to the crowd. “The board must follow state laws, established procedures when addressing discipline. While no findings of negligence have been identified, we recognize those concerns still remain.”
It was unclear if a formal board vote was taken to direct the change.
A video posted on social media of a portion of the March 24 meeting where Gatti was fired and Cervone suspended showed no additional board action on personnel. No public notices had been published in the 蘑菇视频 prior to the one advertising the April 1 meeting.
Sections on the district website containing board meetings and agendas have been unavailable since last week, with attempts to open them returning this Google message: “[t]he organization that owns this item doesn’t allow you to access it.”
The same message is generated when attempting to view a list of high school faculty, though elementary and middle school lists are still available.
Matters like the administrative hiring or transfers are typically handled by the board, though the superintendent likely plays a role before board action, said Melissa Melewsky, media law counsel for the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association.
“The board must act at a public meeting and only after there’s been an opportunity for public comment,” she said.
Courts have allowed boards to “cure” suspected Sunshine Act violations by redoing the action properly, though in that case “they should acknowledge the issue and pledge to not make the same mistake again,” she said.
A Right to Know request filed by the 蘑菇视频 this week sought records including documents relating to the timing and reasoning for the switch, the agreement with MDM Law for its review and the parameters of the search, employment records and length of tenure with the district for Gatti and Cervone, and the contract and recent evaluations for Wallace. The district requested a 30-day extension to fulfill the search.
Diamond said he hasn’t received any indication whether the change in jobs is permanent or will be reversed “once the climate at the high school has changed.”
Acknowledging that he was not moved for disciplinary reasons or as part of the allegations against the two teachers, he said, “My biggest concern is that the community is going to think that I did something wrong.”
According to a salary database for state employees, Diamond earns a salary of $124,000 versus $109,000 for Downs’ position.
Diamond declined to comment Wednesday when asked if there had been any change to his compensation.
Looking back, Diamond said, he’s not sure what he would have done differently. He said he had supervised hundreds of teachers and staff over his tenure as principal. Referencing the recent arrests, he said, “Two isn’t a fair reflection of all the good people that are working at Laurel Highlands.
“Those types of things are not tolerated,” he said. “They would not be covered up. … You hire adults, and they have their clearances. You assume that they’re going to be able to do their job effectively.”