GROVE CITY, Ohio — The South-Western City School Board of Education voted to take an investigation against an elementary school principal to the next step of the process to potentially terminate her.
This process will decide if there is just cause to terminate the contract of Buckeye Woods Elementary School Principal Jennifer Kauffeld. The board placed her on absence without pay.
A spokesperson with the school district said on Tuesday consideration for termination is a "two-pronged process" and Kauffeld will have a chance to have a hearing either with the board or an impartial referee to "review the facts of the investigation conducted by the district." From there, a decision will be made whether to fire her or not.
The investigation stemmed from an alleged incident that happened on Nov. 14 at the elementary school. Grove City police said the school nurse performed a medical examination on a 5-year-old student without the parent’s consent.
Once the district was made aware of the situation, officials placed both the nurse and principal on administrative leave while the investigation was underway. It was during the investigation that the board’s policies were violated, and the actions of both staff members were outside of their job duties. The nurse put in their resignation to the district.
The district said in a statement in part, "The safety of South-Western City School District students is our number one priority within our school system."
The district did not release additional details regarding the incident because of the circumstances and that it involved a child.
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