In an official statement on Wednesday, Mansfield City Schools Superintendent Brian Garverick informed the media that a Mansfield Integrated Learning Center Principal Robert Singleton and four teachers have been placed on paid administrative leave.
“The principal of the Mansfield Integrated Learning Center at Hedges, and four teachers have been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation into alleged failure to follow Mansfield City Schools policy,” Garverick said during a phone call with Richland Source Publisher Jay Allred, “The district’s legal counsel is conducting this investigation. The district will have no further comment until the investigation is completed.”
When asked if placing the principal and teachers on leave was in any way connected to the recent academic ineligibility of a Mansfield Senior High School athlete or the loss of the basketball team’s Ohio Cardinal Conference (OCC) championship, Garverick stated, “I have no comment at this time.”
The loss of Mansfield Senior’s championship followed their Feb. 14 win over West Holmes. It was later identified that Mansfield Senior had played a senior center whose academic ineligibility was announced by OCC commissioner Ron Dessecker late Sunday, Feb. 23. The 2013-14 OCC boys’ basketball championship was passed to West Holmes.
Garverick identified the legal counsel as Bricker & Eckler, a Columbus law firm, providing services to businesses, non-profit organizations, government agencies, school districts, and municipalities.
Mansfield Integrated Learning Center is a secondary school to Mansfield City Schools and students attend the school through a referral process. The school’s stated goal is to create an educational environment that encourages 100 percent graduation and post secondary placement.
