It's even possible that the menahel, realizing that he behaved wrongly, apologized to the boy and the boy preferred not to mention it, as he wanted to present him in a bad light.
While physically harming a student is unacceptable, there are occasional cases where otherwise calm and balanced teachers and principals “lose it” and immediately regret their behavior and apologize. If the case was truly an isolated instance, there is room for a parent and the boy concerned to accept the apology and move on. (Without such an apology, the boy will understandably feel unable to respect the menahel, going forward). Therefore, parents should insist on some form of “closure” and stress that otherwise, the boy’s chinuch will unfortunately be undermined. If possible, the parent should also tell the boy how much the menahel regrets his actions and how highly he thinks of him. This should be done, even if the menahel hasn’t been especially forthcoming in showing remorse.
In this case, however, it’s quite clear from the response of the hanhalah that the menahel is known for such or similar behavior (and even worse). Responding that “he used to be much worse” is no response at all. Even if the menahel were to apologize it would still be inadequate, given that his behavior was not a onetime occurrence, but typical for him.
The hanhalah’s response seems to suggest that they are too intimidated to take action. They are aware of the problem and are choosing to do nothing about it, which is unacceptable. Just as the government needs to have checks and balances, any organization, and especially one that is responsible for young children, should have some kind of built in system of accountability. Making the decision to fire a menahel who is unsuited to his task is a big responsibility — but so is leaving such a menahel in his position and accepting the likely consequences for the cheider’s students.
