Fayetteville School Board formally retains outside counsel in personnel matter

NWA Democrat-Gazette/STACY RYBURN Megan Hurley, Fayetteville School Board member, speaks Thursday to Joy Shirley, director of student services for the district, during the board's meeting.
NWA Democrat-Gazette/STACY RYBURN Megan Hurley, Fayetteville School Board member, speaks Thursday to Joy Shirley, director of student services for the district, during the board's meeting.

FAYETTEVILLE -- Superintendent Matthew Wendt's name came up once in passing during a School Board meeting Thursday.

Wendt, who was hired in 2016, is on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation into claims of sexual harassment from a district employee. The board decided to further consider a personnel matter during a special meeting April 18, but never named Wendt specifically.

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When: 5 p.m. May 24

Where: Winborn Conference Room, Adams Leadership Center, 1000 W. Bulldog Ave.

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John L Colbert, associate superintendent for supportive services, is serving as acting superintendent. He took his seat at the superintendent's chair during Thursday's board meeting.

Under the consent agenda was an item to ratify retention of Susan Keller Kendall as outside counsel for the board. Missy McJunkins Duke was retained as outside counsel for the district. Both attorneys are to serve in "an ongoing personnel matter," according to a memo from R. Christopher Lawson, the district's general counsel. Kendall has made previous statements on the board's behalf regarding Wendt.

Kendall will appear at board meetings when needed, Board President Justin Eichmann said. Duke will handle matters outside of Lawson's normal duties, he said.

"The administration is in a position of prosecuting the claim, the employee is in a position of advancing their claim, and we're the neutral party having to follow the rules," Eichmann said. "So we have separate counsel. We've hired separate counsel many times in the past."

No timetable has been set regarding a decision on Wendt's employment status, Eichmann said.

The board passed all of the items on the consent agenda without discussion, which is standard practice. Wendt's name came up when a representative of the Certified Personnel Policies Committee was explaining details of the current personal and sick leave policy adopted two years ago. The board discussed possible changes, such as no longer having teachers include the reason why when making a personal day request, but took no action.

A new policy regarding suicide prevention also was discussed but not adopted. The policy would have procedures developed to address appropriate responses to warning signs, and involve everyone in a school's community, including parents and guardians.

Joy Shirley, director of student services for the district, said suicide is the second-leading cause of death among 15- to 19-year-olds, and the third leading cause for 10- to 14-year-olds. Only in California are school districts required to have a suicide prevention policy, she said.

"We just felt like we had to get some things in place so that we could make sure our students are taken care of," Shirley said.

Board Member Megan Hurley suggested getting city officials involved with the policy.

The board also heard a lengthy presentation from Steven Weber, associate superintendent for teaching and learning, on a yearlong effort to develop a math curriculum for the district. A task force of 65 teachers district-wide worked together.

"I'm not saying Fayetteville has never had a math curriculum, I'm not going to go out there and say that," Weber said. "But, when I arrived here one year ago we did not have one. So we knew as a district, and in working with principals, we had to start with math. We had to fix this immediately."

NW News on 04/27/2018

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