West Mifflin superintendent threatens lawsuit after being placed on unpaid leave

WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. — School Superintendent Daniel Castagna has been placed on unpaid leave by the West Mifflin School Board and his lawyer has threatened a lawsuit against the district.

Castagna was placed on paid leave in January while he was on sick leave for a back injury, sources told Target 11 at the time.

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Several months prior, in September of 2017, Castagna was arrested and charged with DUI in Beaver County when police said they noticed slurred speech and and the smell of alcohol. He allegedly had a .15 BAC, nearly two times the legal limit.

However, Castagna's lawyer, Colleen Ramage Johnston, says the decision to place him on unpaid leave was personal.

"There are members of the School Board who have targeted Dr. Castagna because his political affiliation did not line up with theirs and because he reported theft by an employee who happened to be their friend," she said in a written statement.

Ramage Johnson said the decision to place Castagna on unpaid leave will "cause my client to lose his job and ruin his reputation.

Cox Media Group