On April 2, 2012, Stamford High Custodian Todd Williams was doing his rounds after school when he encountered a student who repeatedly ripped papers off the wall and slammed doors. After asking the student to stop what he was doing twice, Williams was threatened.
“He threatened me; said he’s going to punch me in the face, kill me. So I grabbed him by the arm and took him to the office,” Williams recounted.
Following the incident, Stamford Public Schools suspended Williams for two days without pay for how he handled the situation. Williams immediately appealed the decision, and after 18 months of waiting, he has won the case.
The question was whether or not Williams was justified in disciplining the student himself. Williams confirmed his right to do so, because he is “expected to have a safe work place” he said.
While members of the Stamford Public Schools System agree that Williams has the right to a secure work environment as all city employees do, some say that it is still not his job to get involved. Fay Ruotolo, the Stamford Public Schools interim human resources director, told the Stamford Advocate, “In all situations where students are misbehaving, custodians are to call security, administrators, or teachers.”
Williams told The Round Table that since he was the only one in the area, he felt it was his duty to confront the student. “I did what I thought was right at the time,” he said.
The State Labor Department agreed that Williams’ punishment was unnecessary when they overturned the initial suspension. Following his successful appeal, Williams was compensated with the two days of pay he was due.
Now that he has been vindicated, Williams is relieved. On moving forward, he said, “I’ll put the incident behind me, and conduct myself like I have been for the 17 years I’ve been here.”