Misspelled sign may have cost principal her job

Mistakes on message above entryway were left uncorrected for more than a week

The sign above the entryway to Public School 20 in Paterson, N.J. (Corey Teague/Facebook)

A principal has been reassigned after a misspelled sign was displayed for more than a week outside a New Jersey school.

The message on the sign above the entryway to Paterson’s Public School Number 20 included three mistakes: December was spelled "Dicember," report as "reepor" and a "1" was placed backwards.

The errors drew the ire of school Paterson Board of Education member Corey Teague, who saw a photo of the misspelled sign on Facebook.

“At first I didn’t believe it," Teague told CBS New York. "I thought it was Photoshopped or something."

When Teague found out it was real, he shared the photo on Facebook.

"How can we expect our children to learn how to spell when the administration can't?" Teague wrote. "We must be held to a higher standard.”

“We can’t assume because it’s an urban district — inner-city — that things like this can be swept over," he told the CBS affiliate. "If it were a suburban neighborhood, parents would be outraged."

School officials told NJ.com that the lettering "was placed by a custodian and the sign was near an entrance not normally used by staff." It was later corrected.

After the gaffe was picked up by several local news outlets, Antoinette Young, the school's principal, was reassigned as a vice principal at a different school.

The school district did not disclose the reason for her demotion, but according to NorthJersey.com, Young was already under review for unrelated performance issues.

Not everyone agreed with the reassignment.

“They don’t talk about all the good things she’s done with the kids," Linda Martinez told CBS New York. "We’re sad to see her go."

Young did not return an email seeking comment. She is still listed as principal on the school's website.

Her name is listed under the school's motto: "Proper Planning Promotes Success; Failure Is Not An Option!"

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