Thomas Valva's principal testified Tuesday about the 8-year-old and his brother being sent to school with urine-soaked clothes and bruising.

East Moriches Elementary School Principal Edward Schneyer says all six of the children from the blended Polina and Valva family attended the school and that he knew the family well.

He described how both Thomas Valva and Anthony Valva were on the autism spectrum, and quickly moved to a gen ed class because of how smart they were.

Schneyer says he then noticed a decline in the children - saying Anthony Valva lost 20 pounds in a year - and the brothers' food and weight was then monitored by the school.

The principal also says that the boys were potty trained initially and then were sent to school in pullups the following year and sometimes in urine-soaked clothes.

He also spoke of several times Thomas and Anthony Valva had scrapes or bruises on their face, saying their behavior began to change.

Schneyer says Anthony Valva was kicking and screaming that he would not get off the bus because he was told he would be taken to Chuck E. Cheese as a reward for that behavior. The parents then later said that was not the case to the principal and told the boy over the phone to go to class.

The principal says Child Protection Services reports were filed many times, and that the school flooded the CPS Hotline that goes to Albany when it was not happy with the results of those reports.

He says Michael Valva, who is on trial for his son Thomas Valva's murder, told him that the school was harassing the family and even threatened lawsuits.

Michael Valva's defense attorney, John LoTurco, says none of the principal's testimony shows that his client wanted his son killed.

"Everyone needs to be focused on not the neglect, child endangerment, but rather the depraved murder charge," LoTurco says. "There is no evidence to show that Mr. Valva wanted his child to die."

Schneyer, a volunteer firefighter, said he heard over the radio of a cardiac arrest on 11 Bittersweet Lane of a child on the morning of Thomas Valva's death. He said he immediately called the superintendent to find out who was not in school that day and that he knew the address well from all of the CPS reports he filed.