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O’DONNELL |
Indian Lake Board of Education board members acted properly, a judge has ruled, when they fired former Superintendent Patrick O’Donnell soon after he was charged in 2017 with sexual contact with girl under the age of 13.
Logan County Common Pleas Court Judge William T. Goslee issued a recent ruling in an administrative appeal of O’Donnell’s firing and the judge found the board had good and just cause to act.
O’Donnell, 53, is currently serving a 41⁄2-year sentence at London Correctional Facility for third-degree felony gross sexual imposition.
He was seeking pay from the district from the time of his firing in late June 2017 to his Feb. 5 conviction.
O’Donnell appealed his job termination to a referee who concluded the board did not have the right to fire O’Donnell without proving he engaged in criminal conduct. He recommended the district retain O’Donnell on paid leave.
Board members rejected the referee’s decision, arguing O’Donnell lost all respect of the school staff and the community and his presence would be detrimental to the district.
In his recent decision, Goslee writes, “This court does not believe that the board has to prove O’Donnell’s criminal conduct to justify the termination; it merely has to show that because of the accusations that the superintendent could no longer effectively perform his duties regardless of any orders to stay away from the workplace.
Read complete story in Wednesday’s Examiner.
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