Blogging teacher’s students may get sub

Central Bucks High School East will probably use a substitute to take over the three classes of controversial teacher Natalie Munroe, a district spokeswoman said Wednesday.

But the district does not know what Munroe will do when she returns to school Monday for the first time since she was suspended in February for her critical blog posts, spokeswoman Carol Counihan said.

Sixty-two of the estimated 90 students assigned to Munroe's two English classes and one debate class requested transfers, leaving her with about 28 students, Counihan said. More requests are expected before the classes start Tuesday, she said.

By using a substitute to teach the classes, rather than transferring the students, the district could honor students' requests to not be assigned to Munroe and follow its class-size policy, Counihan said.

Administrators had expected to reassign students requesting transfers to other teachers. But with 256 students enrolled in 11th grade Academic English, 193 in 11th grade Honors English, and 70 in Debate, class sizes would far exceed 30, Counihan said.

Principal Abe Lucabaugh has said that all such requests would be honored - a policy reserved for "when egregious or unique factors are in play" - and there is no deadline.

Munroe was suspended for blog posts describing some students as "frightfully dim," "whiny," and "utterly loathsome." She did not identify students, the school or the district, but she posted her photo.

This month, Superintendent N. Robert Laws said the district had "backup plans" if Munroe did not have enough students to conduct her classes, but he did not reveal them. Counihan could not say whether using a substitute teacher was part of those plans.

The district has ruled out transferring Munroe, preferring to "contain the issue" at the school where she has taught for four years.

Munroe, who went on maternity leave two weeks after her suspension, could not be reached for comment. "I will teach in an empty classroom if I have to," she said this month.

All totaled, 212 students have asked to be kept out of her classes, most of whom made the requests before rosters were posted last week, Counihan said.

In another teacher controversy, Carolyn Trymbiski, a fifth-grade teacher at Groveland Elementary School, was suspended indefinitely without pay while the district "continues its investigation and ongoing cooperation with law enforcement," Counihan said.

Trymbiski allegedly stole money from teachers' purses, $5,000 from a bank account, and funds for children's magazines, and was arrested last month, according to the Doylestown Intelligencer.

A teacher has been assigned to Trymbiski's class and those students' families are being notified, Counihan said.