POTTSTOWN PA – “Recommendation to approve settlement agreement with former student as presented.”
That was the entire text of “Business Item A” as it appeared on the agenda, and ultimately was unanimously approved, during Tuesday night’s (March 8, 2011) meeting of the Pottsgrove School District Board of School Directors at Lower Pottsgrove Elementary School. For the record, that’s also all the public will – for now – be allowed to know, according to board President Michael Neiffer.
Board President Michael Neiffer, left, and Solicitor Kyle Berman during an earlier meeting.
“What’s this about?,” Sanatoga Post Managing Editor Joe Zlomek publicly asked before the vote was taken.
Its “details will not be discussed at this meeting,” Neiffer replied, in his best basso profundo voice.
- What was the nature of the disagreement between the former student and the district?
- What prompted the district to either make or accept a settlement proposal?
- Does the settlement agreement carry a cost to the district?
- If so, how much and over what period of time?
- How has whatever situation that caused the apparent problem been fixed by the district so it does not happen again?
Those were questions Zlomek hoped to have the board or administrators answer without divulging the names of the former student, school employees or contractors, school building, or other confidential specifics of the apparent problem that legitimately are covered by law or district privacy policies. Both exist because, occasionally, there’s some information the public or media has no right to know.
It is possible answers to some of those questions just couldn’t be provided without breaking confidences, or couldn’t be offered in the time allotted to conduct board business. If either was the case, Neiffer gave no explanation. Solicitor Kyle Berman acknowledged, however, that the cost of the settlement to the district – a cost borne by its taxpayers – was indeed information that could be released publicly … if it was available.
Is it available?, Zlomek asked the president. “I don’t have it before me,” Neiffer said. Does that mean, Zlomek persisted, that the president was ready to vote on the issue even if he didn’t have facts like its cost handy? “I’m absolutely prepared to vote on this,” Neiffer replied.
He called for the vote. School board members, who were otherwise silent during the discussion, all said “aye” in favor, and moved on to “Business Item B” of their agenda.
Director Philip Keogh was absent and did not vote.
Related (to the Pottsgrove Board of School Directors’ meeting of March 8):
- For Pottsgrove’s Record, You Don’t Need To Know This
- MCIU Budgets On Pottsgrove Schools Agenda Tonight
WAY TO GO JOE!!!!!!!!!!!
The Secret Government of the Pottsgroves. Sounds like something out of the Spanish Inquisition or a CIA Black Ops program.
The school district could at the very minimum state the nature of the legal action. E.g. personal injury, criminal assault, defamation of character, etc.
Also, the school district could disclose the amount of the settlement without breaking any “confidences” to the extent that they exist in such a public situation with public monies.
Keep pushing Joe. The thing with these situations is that more than one person knows what went on and people always have enemies and are always glad to spill the beans.
Historically, the Pottsgrove School District Administration is very secretive about these kinds of issues. Remember the incident with the music teacher and the female student a few years ago? If it weren’t for the Mercury and court reporters, we’d probably never have known it happened. In that case the students family won an approximate settlement of $150,000 in Federal Court and a PGSD administrator was found to be “criminally” negligent ( I might not have the exact legal phrase for that). Where did Nester come up with that chunk-a-change?
One reason we elect School Board Members is to have the district’s business discussed out in the open. Given their motives for continued employmnent and personal financial gain, the School Administrators (everywhere across the USA) would just love to conduct all of their business behind closed doors and away from the Prying Eyes of the Pesky Public.
I am sure you will get an answer to this if you ask enough people. Likely a few students know what happened too.