Pleasantville refuses to release school mold report, claims it contains personnel information about superintendent's job status

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Pleasantville refuses to release school mold report, claims it contains

personnel information about superintendent's job status

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/communities/atlantic-city_pleasantville_briga\

ntine/article_6480a5ac-f2c2-11df-a341-001cc4c03286.html

PLEASANTVILLE — A report on mold in a city school also contained information

on

the employment status of Superintendent Gloria Grantham, a school official said

Wednesday.

The Pleasantville School District's business administrator, Dennis Mulvihill,

said Grantham’s status was a personnel issue and that was the reason the

board

went into closed session Tuesday night while reviewing the mold report.

Mulvihill also said the report on mold problems at the Leeds Avenue School was

not distributed to Board of Education members during a special meeting the

night before and that members simply reviewed the report's findings.

The Press of Atlantic City has filed a records request for the report under New

Jersey's Open Public Records Act.

Board Solicitor Hamlin prepared the report at the behest of the Board

of Education. School officials said Hamlin will be consulted concerning the

public release of the report's contents.

Hamlin collected all copies of the report following the board's executive

session Tuesday night to prevent members from leaving with a copy.

The board placed Grantham on paid administrative leave Sept. 28 pending the

results of Hamlin's investigation into the complete shutdown of Leeds Avenue

days before the start of school because mold was found in various parts of the

building.

Board members and parents have questioned why the cleanup did not take place at

an earlier date, which may have prevented the temporary relocation of the

school's staff and 550 students for nine days.

The board has seven days to respond to The Press’ record request.

Contact :

609-272-7147