TALLAHASSEE – State education officials say they are not going to consider an independent investigation into alleged misconduct of district employees, including some principals and former Clay County School Superintendent Charlie Van Zant Jr.

State education investigators say unless further information arises to prove otherwise, they will cease further investigation into allegations that Van Zant fraudulently placed students under the Exceptional Student Education label to bolster school and district graduation rates.

The Florida Department of Education Office of Inspector General reviewed the findings of private consultants hired by the district to investigate complaints arising from an August letter to the school board written by former Keystone Heights High principal Susan Sailor.

The letter alleged Van Zant and school administrators had placed students in ESE after they failed the Florida Standards Assessment so the students’ failures would not count against the district school grade or graduation rate.

“Our review determined that you have addressed the allegations posed by the complainant, and no further action will be required,” stated OIG Director of Investigations Oscar Restrepo in a Feb. 8 closure letter. “Please be advised, if additional information is brought to our attention this may be subject to change.”

However, School Board Chairman Janice Kerekes said additional information is strong and forthcoming.

“I do know that we have been contacted by individuals with information in the district and after receiving this letter,” Kerekes said. “These are employees who were nervous about coming forward beforehand. We were asking for the Office of Inspector General to come back and do an independent investigation, which was the hope, that they would come back and contact [these employees.]

“The OIG never did,” she said. “Now there’s some of these people sitting here with information.”

The school board voted unanimously in a December special meeting to ask the state to review the findings of the investigation performed by Saylor Lannon Associates LLC based in Fort Pierce, consultants recommended by the Florida Association of District School Superintendents – a lobbying organization representing the interests of superintendents.

The school board hoped after its review, the state would launch an independent investigation to either corroborate or denounce the district’s investigation.

“Based on numerous interviews of district employees and considerable document and data review, the investigators find that the allegations…to be unfounded,” stated the investigation overview.

The investigators interviewed 24 current and former administrators during their investigation.

A startling chart revealed in the district’s investigation shows a 374 percent increase in students who were labeled ESE students between the 2013-2014 school year and the 2015-2016 school year.

The significant uptick in ESE placements over the period was due, in part, to increased graduation requirements, an increased ESE population and increased rigor in the school district.

DOE requires districts to offer special courses for students who meet requirements who are gifted or who have disabilities. These disabilities can include students with autism spectrum disorder, hearing or speech impairments, visual impairments or intellectual disabilities.

ESE students would not have to take the state’s new rigorous test required for earning a diploma and would instead receive a testing waiver and be allowed to graduate. At the same time, the school district would receive more money per student from the federal government.

Higher graduation rates follow closely with state funding to any given district.

Kerekes along with Vice Chairman Carol Studdard and Board Member Mary Bolla raised concerns during board discussions regarding the legitimacy and independence of a district investigation and instead preferred a state review to take place.

Board Members Betsy Condon and Ashley Gilhousen – longtime supporters of Van Zant – also voted for an independent state review, but also said they were personally satisfied with results from the district’s investigation.

The investigation did find, however, many students placed in ESE classes were in their junior and senior years – which is abnormal because the earlier a student is identified as requiring extra help due to a disability, generally, the better they will do in their coursework.

When investigators questioned Linda Garcia, assistant principal of Clay High about the school’s unusually high frequency of seniors placed into ESE status, she said the discrepancy was due in part to the lengthy and rigorous “interventions” that take place in language arts and intensive reading classes. Because of this, some students either rectify their deficiencies before ever receiving ESE placement.

“I wish for students’ sakes that we did identify them earlier, as the earlier they can start getting the ESE services, the more likely they are to find success,” Garcia said.

In a response to the complaint, the school board will train counselors, administrators and teachers about the criteria for determining students who qualify for ESE and the procedures to better record when an ESE waiver is issued.