Chester school board meets Monday in private to talk ‘employment matters,’ employee ‘grievance’

For the second time this month, the Chester County School Board plans to meet behind closed doors to talk about a district employee, and officials are still being tight-lipped about Superintendent Agnes Slayman’s indefinite, unexplained “personal leave.”

The school board will meet Monday at 6:30 p.m., officials say. The district would describe the meeting only as saying school board members plan to discuss privately “employment matters” and a “grievance” related to someone’s employment.

The board, according to the agenda for Monday’s meeting, also plans to get advice from the Chester County School District attorney related to the apparent employee grievance and the undisclosed “employment matters.”

Earlier this month, The Herald first reported that Superintendent Slayman has been on what school district officials are calling “personal leave,” though district officials refused to answer questions about whether her absence is voluntary or whether she’s being paid while not working. District officials also have declined to say when Slayman began the leave of absence, and they won’t say why the superintendent is not at work.

Slayman has not returned emails or several phone calls from The Herald.

Several parents have told The Herald and the newspaper’s news partner, WSOC-TV, that they’re concerned about the district office’s recent communication issues and want an explanation for Slayman’s leave of absence.

School board Chairwoman Denise Lawson has said she’s unaware of such communication issues and has pointed out that other district personnel are responsible for Slayman’s duties in her absence. After a three-hour private executive board session earlier this month, Lawson would not say what employment matter trustees were discussing. The board adjourned its Sept. 3 meeting without public discussion and without taking any actions in the open portion of the meeting.

Chester school district trustees also met last week but took no action.

Slayman’s absence has come at a time of contention surrounding who will serve as security or law enforcement at Chester High School’s home football games. At the last minute earlier this month, the school district and the Chester County Sheriff’s Office signed a temporary agreement that put deputies in uniform at the football stadium to provide security. It’s unclear what, if any, arrangement for security has been made for the rest of the season.

Slayman – who earns a salary of $150,000, according to public records – has been in charge of Chester County schools since January 2012. She’s spent more than 30 years in education and as an advocate for public schools, including as a teacher, principal and assistant superintendent.

Check back Monday night for details from the school board meeting.

This story was originally published September 13, 2015 at 10:47 AM with the headline "Chester school board meets Monday in private to talk ‘employment matters,’ employee ‘grievance’."