A years-long battle between the Cornwall-Lebanon, Pennsylvania School District and social studies teacher Luke "Todd" Scipioni finally came to an end this week when a court ruled that Scipioni can return to work, the Lebanon Daily News reported.
School officials learned in 2014 that Scipioni had sex with a female student on her graduation night in 2004. The allegations surfaced during Scipioni's divorce proceedings, the Daily News reported.
The Daily News reported that Scipioni and the student developed a relationship during the 2003-04 school year, but it did not turn sexual until after the student's graduation. The relationship ceased when she went to college at the end of the summer.
The district then fired Scipioni in October 2014 when it confirmed the relationship between Scipioni and the student.
Scipioni then challenged the district in court, with an arbitrator’s ruling that Scipioni was not forthcoming in the details of the relationship, and that he should be suspended for one year, but not banned from teaching. This week, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that Scipioni should not have been punished beyond the suspension, and is entitled to return to his job.
Scipioni is reportedly interested in returning to work for the district after he and the district settle on back pay.
A district spokesperson said that while it disagrees with the ruling, it will abide by the justices' ruling.
