A post in the Times Herald-Record forums suggested that there was a prior case of the Newburgh School District hiring a recently reformed felon, with unfortunate consequences. This is true.
| John Collins | Mark Wallace | |
|---|---|---|
| Birth Year | 1951 | 1962 |
| Charge | Robbery 1st B | Robbery 2nd C, Criminal Impersonation 1st E |
| Prison | Attica or Walkill (sources differ) | Sing Sing |
| Degree earned while in prison | Bachelors | Bachelors and Masters |
| Entered Prison | 2/15/1980 | 2/3/1993 |
| Date Paroled | 9/24/1987 | 9/8/2006 |
| Hired by Newburgh School District | less than 1 year after parole | less than 1 year after parole |
| Clerical Endorsement | Rev. Saul Williams | Rev. Susan R. Andrews |
Mr. Collins did not work out too well as an employee. Following an incident at South Junior High School in 1988 he faced three felony and five misdemeanor charges. On September 5, 1989 he plead guilty to attempted first degree sexual abuse and in October, 1989 he was sentenced to four years. He was back in state prison from 10/30/1989 to 9/4/1991.
Is Mr. Wallace a compelling speaker? Yes, he is. Does he appear to have reformed, to have made the best of his prison experience, and to be able to contribute something to society? Yes, it seems so. Should he be entrusted to work with kindergarten through twelfth graders in the Newburgh School District?
Sources:
- New York State Inmate Population Information Search. Both of these names are common--including the Birth Year makes searching easier.
- Here are a couple of images of Times Herald-Record articles. Sorry about the poor image quality.