The Washington Local Board of Education during a special meeting today upheld banning a former superintendent from school property.
The meeting was held to give former superintendent Patrick Hickey a chance to respond to the board’s Saturday decision to bar him from school property after the board deemed his behavior at a Friday basketball game was inappropriate.
PDFs: Washington Local Board of Education resolution | Patrick Hickey’s response to board
Today, the board emerged from a roughly 20 minute executive session in which Mr. Hickey appeared briefly behind closed doors with board members.
The board returned and approved a resolution to maintain his ban from school property.
Mr. Hickey did not speak publicly but did give board members a statement.
Mr. Hickey resigned from his superintendent post in December, after he had been placed on leave twice this school year amid board investigations.
The board-approved terms of his departure kept him on the payroll through July 31, but called for him to stay off school property except to attend events involving his children, such as Friday’s varsity basketball game against Lima Senior in which his son played.
During that game, the board said Mr. Hickey acted in an inappropriate and abusive way toward a game official, confronted the athletic director, and continued to embrace interim Superintendent Cherie Mourlam even after she tried to push him away.
The behavior prompted the board to meet in an emergency session Saturday and unanimously voted to ban him from district property.
They agreed Saturday to meet again Monday to give Mr. Hickey a chance to respond to the charges and explain his actions.
Mr. Hickey was reprimanded after a September investigation prompted by a staff member claimed Mr. Hickey harassed her after their alleged relationship ended. He was told to not interact with anyone he believes has filed a complaint against him.
Then, one evening in November, Mr. Hickey was captured on video surveillance repeatedly walking by the classroom door of that teacher, stopping, and taking a picture with his cell phone.
A $217,158 financial package, agreed to upon his resignation, includes salary, retirement, and payments for personal and vacation days.
Contact Vanessa McCray at: vmccray@theblade.com or 419-724-6065, or on Twitter @vanmccray.
First Published February 15, 2016, 10:55 p.m.
