After being investigated by the New York City Department of Education (DOE), Erin Taylor, the former assistant coach of the Stuyvesant girls’ track team’s racewalking squad, was found guilty of violating several DOE policies while supervising a track meet last year at Dartmouth College.

The racewalking team and Taylor were on their way to the meet when their Ford E-350 van was overturned, leaving senior Valerie Piro paralyzed. Although Piro was wearing her seatbelt, she was partially ejected out of the car’s window when the vehicle left the highway.

In a lawsuit filed against the DOE, the City of New York, Stuyvesant High School, Taylor, Ford Motor Company, TRW Automotive, and Avis Rent-A-Car System, LLC, Piro sued the defendants for 300 million dollars.

The investigation found Taylor, who resigned shortly after the incident, guilty of not receiving proper authorization from Principal Stanley Teitel for the trip, as well as of not using permission slips. Taylor, Teitel and Piro all declined to comment.

According to the NY1 article “Investigation Finds Track Coach Violated DOE Policy,” published on Thursday, April 23, Taylor regularly scheduled unauthorized trips for the track team.

In doing so, Taylor violated multiple DOE policies. Chancellor’s Regulation A-670 states that “all school trips must be approved in advance by the principal” and “a parental consent form is required for each school trip.”

Additionally, Richard Condon, Special Commissioner of Investigation for the New York City School District, said that “[Taylor] did not depart on the trip from the school, and she used private transportation.” According to Condon, these are also violations of the Chancellor’s Regulation.

The head coach for the girls’ track team, William Silver, said that although he was aware of the unauthorized trips, he decided not to tell Teitel about them. Although Silver is no longer the coach for the girls’ track team, he will continue coaching girls cross country.

Assistant Principal Physical Education Martha Singer, on the other hand, said she had not been informed about the unauthorized trip to Dartmouth College.

Condon, however, said, “It is difficult to accept that Singer was unaware that Taylor had taken students to any of the many events discussed in this report.”

Both Silver and Singer declined to comment further.

As a result of the investigation, the DOE is recommending that Stuyvesant’s trip policy be revised, and appropriate action be taken against Taylor, Singer and Silver.