Trussville City Schools Superintendent Pattie Neill has resigned from her post amid a “death notebook scandal” gripping the district after the school board unanimously voted to accept the resignation and amend her contract Tuesday night.

An attorney for Neill, whose contract was to run until June 30, 2026, negotiated with the board to renegotiate the contract for only one year, until Oct. 31, 2023.

Neill will be paid by Trussville City Schools until that date but she will no longer be superintendent.

“It provides us an opportunity to move forward, it provides us an opportunity to have a fresh start,” said Trussville City Board of Education Vice President Kim DeShazo.”“I am looking forward to our city being in the news for the things that we have to celebrate, because Trussville City Schools does have a lot to celebrate and a lot to be thankful for .. I’m looking forward to the next chapter.

The board unanimously approved amending Neill’s contract.

It also made Interim Superintendent Frank Costanzo the district’s acting superintendent as the system begins the search for Neill’s permanent replacement.

Neill had been on a 60-day leave of absence since Sept. 30.

Many Trussville parents had called for Neill’s removal after it was revealed that school officials in the district had been aware of a threatening notebook for a year before taking action to ensure student safety.

The “death notebook” allegedly contained names of more than three dozen students the author wanted to kill.

The latest threats were first reported to city officials on Sept. 16. Parents were not informed until Sept. 26, according to one speaker at that month’s school board meeting. Another student had first reported a notebook with death threats in October 2021.

The student has been sent to an alternative school, but some parents said 20 days in that environment would not be enough to make students feel safe or to help the one who made threats.

In late September, a city investigation revealed school staff were aware of a student’s notebook – which contained the names of 37 students he allegedly wanted to kill – but did not notify parents or other staff until the student apparently again threatened to harm others.

“We deeply and humbly apologize for all the emotional and mental distress experienced by our students, parents and staff,” board president Kathy Brown wrote in a newsletter to parents following the probe. “It is painful and we want to work towards healing, and that includes every single student.”

Principal Tim Salem was placed on administrative leave shortly after the case became public. In the days that followed, parents, students and some school employees protested the district.

Some said they failed to receive any communication from the district about the incident until days later. Others brought up longstanding concerns about communication, transparency and accountability among system leaders like Neill.

“The students do not agree with the way she operates this school district,” Ethan Sumners, a high school student who said he was named in the notebook, said at a the September school board meeting.