Pittston Area School District officials have said they cannot comment on personnel matters in response to questions about this week's arrest of Superintendent Kevin Booth.
Booth, 54, faces charges after he allegedly choked his wife Sunday night during a domestic dispute at their Pittston City home.
"The Pittston Area School District is aware of the media reports involving charges filed against an employee of the district. We recognize that this matter has generated public attention and raised questions within our community," the statement provided by Assistant Superintendent John Haas read.
Haas added that under district policy and state law, the district cannot comment publicly on the handling of personnel matters.
"This policy is in place to ensure due process, protect the privacy rights of all employees, and to ensure that any internal processes, as well as resulting criminal processes where applicable, are conducted thoroughly and without prejudice," his statement added.
"We want to assure our families, staff, and stakeholders that the District remains focused on its mission to provide a safe, supportive, inclusive, and high-quality educational environment for all students," the statement said.
Booth is a Pittston Area graduate and longtime district employee who served as a teacher and principal prior to being named superintendent in 2016.
A voicemail message left for Booth at his office was not returned.
Alleged incident described in affidavit
According to a police affidavit, Jessica Booth told officers she and her husband had been fighting Sunday, and that Kevin Booth had her phone all day before he came home "drunk."
The pair had a scuffle in the bedroom during which Kevin Booth "kinda tossed me around a bit" and "choked" his wife, Jessica Booth, she told police.
Kevin Booth first told police he had "no idea" what happened, according to the affidavit. When asked if anything physical had taken place he replied "not that I'm aware of," according to the affidavit, police said.
Booth was charged with a misdemeanor count of simple assault and one count of harassment, a summary offense.
He was arraigned Monday by District Judge Brian Tupper of Kingston Township and released on $2,500 unsecured bail.
Court documents show that Booth is scheduled to be arraigned at 10:30 a.m. Oct. 21 in Luzerne County Central Court.
The Pittston Area School Board's next regularly scheduled meeting is set for 6 p.m. the same day.
