Moravia superintendent accused of plagiarism

Moravia Central School District Superintendent William P. Tammaro has dismissed plagiarism accusations made by a former teacher in the district.

Steven Fland, who taught seventh-grade science at Moravia Middle School from 1969 to 2005, publicly charged Tammaro last month with lifting substantial content from the Internet and, with controvertible or no attribution, publishing that material in at least two monthly school district newsletters. A former school board member and an area expert on plagiarism have both backed up Fland's claims.

For now the matter remains local, but Fland is considering a formal appeal to the state education commissioner pending a response from the board of education.