Public commenter presses board over vice principal investigation; district says case under police review
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Summary
A public commenter accused a vice principal of inappropriate social-media behavior and said a Right-to-Know request was denied; the district solicitor said the matter remains a criminal investigation and the board was instructed not to comment, while the superintendent emphasized student safety.
A public commenter at the Nov. 12 Wyoming Valley West School District meeting raised concerns about a vice principal's conduct and questioned why the district's Right-to-Know request returned a denial, prompting the solicitor to tell the speaker the case remains under criminal investigation.
Wayne McDavid used the public-comment period to press the board about the vice principal, asking several times why the administrator was reportedly working from home and whether the district had a social-media policy. "I don't want him at the school," McDavid said, adding he feared for student safety and that the matter was being "swept under the rug."
The district solicitor responded that the board had been instructed not to comment because "it was last month when you appeared... It's still under criminal investigation as far as the district is concerned," and said he believed documents had been sent in response to the Right-to-Know request and that staff would check with the agency's right-to-know officer.
Superintendent Dr. Shoupon said the district must respect the investigative process and stressed that "the safety and security of our children and our staff are our utmost concern," adding that the district would release information when investigators provided it. The superintendent repeated that the board would not comment further while the law-enforcement inquiry is ongoing.
The board did not take formal action on personnel during the public portion of the meeting and said it would defer to law enforcement and investigators on timing and next steps.