Mt. Vernon School Board, do the right thing

Remember last Wednesday, when I wrote that former Washington Elementary School Principal Terry Eisenbarth's resignation means we'll likely never get to the bottom of misconduct allegations against him?

Turns out, it might not be quite that simple.

Mount Vernon School Board members had copies of the completed investigation when they went into closed session last Friday to discuss the principal's future with the district.

“I was prepared and ready to go to a public vote,” board President Tom Wieseler told me this week. Before they could do that, Eisenbarth submitted his resignation.

In my last column, I wrote that I feared the board would just tuck the investigation away, like so many districts have done before.

But this time, I may have spoken too soon.

In fact, Wieseler called me to tell me the board still hasn't decided what to do with that investigator's report. They've asked attorneys to help them decide whether they should share it with the state Board of Educational Examiners.

“We want to do what we're legally obligated to do,” Wieseler said.

Wieseler couldn't tell me what investigators found, of course, or if the former principal was encouraged to resign. He also couldn't tell me if the district is investigating allegations that Superintendent Pam Ewell brushed off complaints about Eisenbarth's competence and behavior.

Still, I got the impression that although Wieseler wants to put this whole issue to rest, he wants to do it the right way.

Unfortunately, Iowa law doesn't require what most of us would consider “right” in cases of misconduct.

Even if investigators found that Eisenbarth had acted improperly, it will likely be up to school board members to decide whether or not to forward their completed investigation to state licensers.

But licensed educators must be held accountable for violating professional standards, no matter where they're working. It's not enough to shuffle them out one school door and into the next.

“ ... and the fact that there's no cross-reporting across states,” Wieseler added when we talked this week. “It gives you pause.”

I asked him what he meant.

“I have to ask myself: If there were tighter reporting regulations, would we have been down this road?” he asked.

If allegations against Eisenbarth are true, he should be held accountable - resignation or no.

It might not be the board's legal obligation, but it's more than that: It's the right thing to do.

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jennifer.hemmingsen@sourcemedia.net