An award-winning special education teacher from the Hermitage School District who was charged in the fall on eight counts related to failing to give medication to a student will retire from the district after 12 years of service.

Marganie "Gayne" Bortz, 53, of 49 Rexford Drive, Hermitage was charged Nov. 2, 2001, with two counts of theft, reckless endangerment, endangering the welfare of children and acquisition by misrepresentation.

The charges revolve around whether she gave a 17-year-old mentally and physically handicapped student his medication on Oct. 2 and 3.

One of the duties of the long-time teacher of multi-handicapped special education students was to administer medication to students, in this case, Ativan, prescribed to prevent seizures, according to a police affidavit.

Two teacher aides, Anne Emrick and Diane Darby, told Hermitage police that they had suspected that Mrs. Bortz had not been giving the student his pill since the beginning of the year.

Ms. Emrick is still employed by the district, and Ms. Darby, who was subbing with the district at the time, is still on the school's substitute list.

Mrs. Bortz will retire at the end of the school year on June 14. She had been using up accrued sick and vacation days since she was charged, according to the district's solicitor, Attorney Donald R. McKay of Hermitage.

Her case is scheduled for trial in June in Mercer County court.

Superintendent Karen Ionta had no comment about Mrs. Bortz or her retirement.