CCSC Board votes to cancel teacher's contract

The Cloverdale Community School Corporation (CCSC) Board voted 6-0 to approve the cancellation of Ms. Jill Schrieber's teacher contract at a special meeting held Jan. 19th in the Arthur L. Johnson Administration Building. Schrieber had previously served as a special education teacher at Cloverdale Middle School.

Board member Mike Rightmyer II made the motion to approve the contract cancellation, with Emily Haltom seconding the motion prior to the 6-0 board vote. The entire meeting lasted just four minutes.

The contract cancellation was effective as of the Jan. 19th board meeting.

"I believe it is necessary to explain the process used and the legal responsibilities of this board," explained board president Vivian Whitaker. "As school board members we are not allowed to talk about personnel matters as individuals or as a board in order to protect the privacy of the person or persons involved. This evening, we cannot divulge the reasons for (Cloverdale Middle School Principal) Ms. (Chelsey) Meluch and (CCSC Superintendent) Mr. (Greg) Linton determining the termination and cancellation of Ms. Schrieber's contract. I personally attest that the legal counsel has been involved in the entire process. All laws and policies have been followed by our administrators and the board."

Ms. Whitaker continued by saying, "People have been allowed to state their opinions at our December and January board meetings. Many opinions have been expressed on social media, much of which was directed at our middle school principal, superintendent, and the board. Hate mail was received. Threats to vote out the entire board was stated on more than one occasion. It is sad that some in our community have shed such a negative light on our school corporation. Every person on this board swore an oath to support the laws of the State of Indiana and its constitution. I believe each of us have done so in every action we have taken during my tenure of service. In addition, I wholeheartedly believe that each of us put the wellbeing of each child at the center of our decisions. To think that any of us hold personal biases against this teacher is both absurd and absolutely not true. The decision we made tonight is based upon evidence provided in the hearing, nothing else."