State education board investigating three northeast Iowa school administrators

GUTTENBERG, Iowa — The Iowa Board of Educational Examiners is investigating allegations against three Clayton Ridge Community School District administrators.

At a meeting last month, the board found “probable cause to establish a violation” of Iowa’s Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics for educators in the cases of Superintendent Shane Wahls, Middle and High School Principal Terri Thompson and Dean of Students Wade Marlow, according to the board’s website.

The Clayton Ridge school district serves Guttenberg, Garnavillo and the surrounding areas in northeast Iowa.

State licensure information pages for Wahls and Marlow show findings of probable cause to establish violations in six code sections.

These are failing to report any suspected act of child or dependent adult abuse as required by state law; falsifying or deliberately misrepresenting or omitting material information submitted in the course of an official inquiry or investigation; failing to make reasonable effort to protect the health and safety of the student or creating conditions harmful to student learning; failing to self-report to the board within 60 days any founded child abuse report or any conviction for a criminal offense that requires revocation of the practitioner’s license; failing as an administrator to protect the safety of staff and students; and failing as an administrator to meet mandatory reporter obligations.

Thompson’s licensure information page lists probable cause to establish violations of the first four code sections on Wahls’ and Marlow’s pages, but does not include failure as an administrator to protect the safety of staff and students and meet mandatory reporter obligations.

Iowa Department of Education Communications Director Heather Doe told the Dubuque Telegraph Herald in an email that the content of complaints, investigative files or board deliberation are “privileged and confidential” under Iowa Code.

Doe said the cases were submitted to the Iowa Attorney General’s Office.

“The next step procedurally is to complete the contested case process with the Attorney General’s Office, which may result in a settlement or a hearing with an administrative law judge who provides a proposed decision for the Board of Educational Examiners’ consideration,” she wrote.

Wahls did not respond to a phone call from the Telegraph Herald seeking comment, and officials at the middle school and high school directed questions for Thompson and Marlow to School Board President Jessica Bittner.

Reached by phone, Bittner asked for any questions to be submitted via email but did not respond to a follow-up email seeking comment.

A statement from school board members on the district’s Facebook page notes that the school board is aware of the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners’ findings of probable cause.

“A finding of probable cause means that a hearing will be scheduled regarding the allegations and is not a determination that any of the allegations are founded,” the statement reads. “The board will continue to maintain contact with the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners and the district’s legal counsel regarding these matters.”

According to the statement, the board is unable to provide more detailed information due to confidentiality obligations under state law.