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PITTSBURG, Kan. (AP) — A school board in the southeastern Kansas is looking for a third party to review its hiring procedures after an inquiry by student journalists prompted an incoming high school principal to resign.
Pittsburg School Board Vice President John Clark told the Pittsburg Morning Sun (http://bit.ly/2omsgyL ) that the board is seeking assistance in reviewing both the events that led up to Amy Robertson's resignation last week and shoring up their hiring practices to avoid similar incidents in the future.
The student reporters' concerns stemmed from Robertson receiving her master's and doctoral degrees from Corllins University. The unaccredited, online school was referred to in several articles as a "diploma mill" where people can purchase degrees and diplomas. Robertson said she received her degrees before the university lost its accreditation.
The student paper's story on Robertson gained global media attention from publications like The New York Times, The Washington Post and the BBC.
"Our goal is to make sure this doesn't happen again," Superintendent Destry Brown said, adding that Robertson "didn't work in the district, never set foot in Pittsburg and was never near the kids."
Brown said the board will likely call a special meeting this week to begin searching for a new high school principal.
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Information from: The (Pittsburg, Kan.) Morning Sun, http://www.morningsun.net
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