Former Latin teacher Deb Caldieri claims her current condition and the chain of events that led her there were a result of her refusal to keep quiet following Prince's death.
Phoebe PrinceSOUTH HADLEY - Deb Caldieri, a Latin teacher at South Hadley High School, is credited by the parents of Phoebe Prince as being one of the few people that reported bullying prior to their daughters suicide as a result of it in 2010.
According to a report in The Boston Globe, Caldieri was visited by Prince's mother, Anne O'Brien, as the six students charged criminally for bullying her were in court in May, preparing to take plea deals offered by the Northwestern District Attorney's Office.
The visit took place in a nursing home as Caldieri hasn't taught since December, when her Multiple Sclerosis flared up, due to stress she says was caused by harassment and bullying from school administrators.
Caldieri claims her current condition and the chain of events that led her there were a result of her refusal to keep quiet following Prince's death.
She told The Republican's news partner ABC-40 everything began the day after Prince's death when a group of students became concerned about a boy who dated Prince and had not showed up for school.
Caldieri said that as she took the group of students out of school to check on the teen, she was under the assumption that they had permission from their parents and it was alright with school administrators, following a conversation a vice principal reportedly had with one of the students as she was leaving with the group.
It turns out she was incorrect and following a conversation with Principal Daniel Smith, things were never the same for her at the school.
"The vice principal and principal started sitting in my classes, they ostracized me, they gave me bad reviews," Caldieri told ABC-40. "The stress of that everyday was building up and the one thing that happens with MS is stress exacerbates symptoms and causes seizures."
Caldieri claims Smith said he wanted her out of his school and in the months that followed, things got worse. At one point, she was reportedly cited for discussing Prince and the case on her personal Facebook page.
"I lost the job I love, I can't see the students I loved I'm wheelchair bound, I can't get outside." Caldieri said. "I'm gonna lose this apartment. I'm gonna be homeless. I have no more finances, I used all my savings, sold every piece of jewelry I owned."
In late February, Smith announced his plans to retire, which will reportedly become effective on June 30. Although he has never spoken tot he press about the Prince case, he released a statement earlier this year saying his decision to retire has nothing to do with it.
Caldieri said she plans on appealing to the school board on Wednesday to approve her status as being gone on accidental medical, so she can at least earn something while she is away.