Fmr. Northwood Elementary Vice Principal Placed on Leave

The former assistant principal at Hilton's Northwood Elementary School has been placed on administrative leave from her current job as principal at the Village Elementary School.

An email from Hilton Central Superintendent Kasey Kosiorek does not say why Kelley O'Connel-Byrne was taken off the job, but she served as Northwood Vice Principal under Former Principal Kirk Ashton, who is now on trial for sexually abusing more than 20 young boys during his 17-year tenure at Northwood.

She testified as a witness at Ashton's trial that she saw several students sitting on Ashton’s lap ... and said that to her it “skewed boundaries” between staff and student, but she did not report it.

The District email says O'Connel-Byrne will be temporarily replaced by Timothy Dobertin, who recently retired as assistant superintendent of Monroe 2 BOCES.

He will serve until a new principal is named.


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