UNION CITY, MI (WTVB) – As the Union City School District gets ready for the start of a new school year, officials hope to put behind what has been an uneasy summer which included an investigation into accusations the district’s superintendent violated policies.
According to minutes from an August 6, 2018 special board meeting that were published on the district’s website, the Union City School Board got a complaint from high school principal Christina Feneley that Superintendent Patrick Kreger “created an intimidating and hostile work environment…that he had failed to properly supervise his employees and that she had suffered retaliation once she started complaining about workplace issues.”
The board voted June 27, 2018 to appoint the Thrun Law Firm to conduct an impartial investigation and directed all district employees to cooperate fully.
When the investigation wrapped up, the board voted 7-0 last week in favor of a resolution which stated that by a preponderance of the evidence, Feneley’s “statement and the information presented in support of her statement do not meet the applicable standards for establishing unlawful harassment, retaliation, or any board policy violation.”
The resolution went on to state that the board directed all district employees to refrain from retaliating against anyone who cooperated with the investigation of this matter. In addition, district employees vested with authority over other employees have a heightened expectation to act professionally and with courtesy.
According to the resolution, failure to follow board directives may result in discipline up to and including discharge.
