Side effects from medical treatment lead to brush with the Lebanon legal system It is unclear if Madeline Carlock, the new assistant principal at Elm Hill and Union Street, will be joining the school district next year after she failed to disclose that she was arrested last October when she punctured her mother’s tires and kicked a police officer. www.eagletimes.com

www.eagletimes.com

Side effects from medical treatment lead to brush with the Lebanon legal system By KATY SAVAGE ksavage@eagletimes.com SPRINGFIELD, Vt. —It is unclear if Madeline Carlock, the new assistant principal at Elm Hill and Union Street, will be joining the school district next year after she failed to disclose that she was arrested last October when she punctured her mother’s tires and kicked a police officer. Superintendent Zach McLaughlin and school board chair Ed Caron both declined to comment on Monday. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be offered a job in education again,” said Carlock, who said she had spoken with the superintendent. Carlock, 32, of West Lebanon, New Hampshire, has been an instructional coach in the Hartford School District since June 2016. She accepted the position as assistant principal in Springfield earlier this month after she declined an interim principal position at Cavendish Town Elementary School last month. Carlock was arrested Oct. 16, 2017 for simple assault and criminal mischief after she “recklessly” damaged her mother’s vehicle by puncturing the tires and she kicked a Lebanon Police officer in the leg and the chest, according to court records. Carlock said she didn’t disclose the arrest to either employer. Carlock also didn’t tell her employers at Hartford about the arrest. Hartford Schools Superintendent Tom DeBalsi said Monday that Carlock is still employed in the district but he declined to comment further, explaining it was a personnel matter. “Hindsight is 20/20,” Carlock said. “Perhaps I should have told Springfield [of the incident] at the very outset of the interview process, but it didn’t seem like the best decision at the time.” Carlock applied for the job through School Spring, an online job source for educators. She answered “no” to all the background questions—including past criminal convictions. “I wasn’t trying to be sneaky,” said Carlock. “I was under the impression that since I was in a diversion program and there would be no convictions and it wouldn’t go to trial, that disclosing that information wasn’t a duty of mine.” Carlock, who was in the middle of a four-month medical leave from her education career when she was arrested, said she was taking a drug called Gabapentin to control pain from Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. According to the Mayo Clinic website, the condition is inherited and symptoms include overly flexible joints and fragile, stretchy skin. The joint disorder can cause dislocations and the skin bruises easily and may be too delicate to hold stitches. “My personality really changed,” said Carlock. “I was at a low point in my life.” According to the WebMD website, a small number of people who take the anti-convulsant Gabapentin to experience depression and mood swings. Carlock started taking Gabapentin after she was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome following an emergency room visit last April. She was on medical leave from the Hartford School District from September to December 2017. Carlock said the syndrome makes her dizzy and causes pain and stiffness. Carlock said she kicked the police officer because the rough handling with the handcuffs “was very triggering,” she said. Carlock has lived with her mother, Janet Stephenson, for the past two years. Carlock said they otherwise have a “positive” relationship. Stephenson said she was in bed when Carlock slit her tires around 10 p.m. that night. Carlock went into her mother’s bedroom and told her mother what she did, said Stephenson. Carlock then called the police on herself. “We weren’t screaming and yelling or anything,” said Carlock’s mother. “At that time, I think she was needing more than I could give her in terms of attention.” Stephenson said she never pressed charges. “She doesn’t deserve it, but at the same time she did what she did,” said Stephenson. Carlock has been in education for the past 10 years. She’s taught first, second and fourth grade at Ottauquechee School in Hartford. As an instructional coach in the Hartford School District, she helps implement new curriculums and supports about 70 educators, according to her résumé. Superintendent McLaughlin announced Carlock had been hired in Springfield in a May 8 press release. He said there were 19 other applicants and Carlock’s background in performing administrative duties would fit well with the school system. The assistant principal position, for which Carlock was offered a $75,000 salary, was created earlier this year at the request of teachers and principals who said they needed more support to help them improve the struggling school system. Carlock’s time would be split between both Elm Hill and Union Street elementary schools. Last month Carlock started mental health treatment through Halls of Hope, a court diversion program. She has about a year left before she completes the program. Despite her disease, Carlock said she’s prepared to return to work. “I’ve learned to manage the symptoms,” she said.