Saw this in the paper this morning:
Law firm to investigate South Eastern district’s operations
The assessment will focus on the superintendent’s office and administrative staff’s adherence to their responsibilities pursuant to district policy and their job descriptions.
By LORI BADDERS
For the Daily Record/Sunday News
Posted: 03/05/2010 06:00:14 AM EST
The South Eastern School Board on Thursday hired a Philadelphia law firm to investigate whether the district is operating legally.
In an unanimous vote, the board adopted a resolution to retain the Levin Legal Group to conduct an assessment focusing on the superintendent’s office and administrative staff’s adherence to their responsibilities pursuant to district policy and their job descriptions.
The resolution directs all administrators to cooperate with the law firm by participating in interviews, promptly providing documents as requested and answering questions, either verbally or in writing. Administrators are to consider the investigation a priority, the resolution states.
The board set aside $20,000 to pay for the investigation, expected to last no more than two months, board president Ralph Marston said. Attorney Michael Levin and his partners are considered experts in school law, he added.
Marston declined to say what prompted the board to take such action. He said all nine board members are relatively new to board service, with at most two years’ experience, and none are experts in school law.
“We just want to be sure that everyone is following district policy and we’re running things legally,” he said.
The board is giving the Levin Legal Group the authority to pursue the investigation as it sees fit, Marston said.
“Mr. Levin has free range to investigate. Wherever his investigation takes him, he’s free to go,” Marston said.
