LEWISTON, ID – A Lewiston elementary school teacher has been placed on administrative leave. The Lewiston Tribune reports the school board came out of an executive session Friday to ratify the administration’s action to place first-grade teacher Sheila Frei on leave for an undetermined amount of time. The nature of Frei’s administrative leave is confidential.
According to the district’s policy, an employee can be placed on a leave of absence when the person has or allegedly has violated the Idaho Code of Ethics, created a threat to the safety and well-being of a student or another employee, violated district policy or when leave is necessary to investigate alleged misconduct by the employee.
According to district policy, the leave status means that the employee doesn’t perform customary duties. While the employee is on leave there is an investigation by the school district or sometimes by another agency including local police, the state or the county. The leave of absence stays in place until the conditions that caused the leave of absence are resolved, which could be various outcomes including a return to employment or termination, depending on the conclusion of the investigation. Those potential actions would be taken by the school board, but district policy also states that administrators, like the superintendent, can recommend the discharge of a certified employee, including a teacher.
