It has the appearance of impropriety, and that’s the last thing the Hamilton County Board of Education needs.
We’re talking about emails that suggest school board attorney Scott Bennett tried to interfere with the conclusions of what was supposed to have been an independent report on the school district’s and Ooltewah High School’s compliance with sexual harassment policies following a December 2015 assault case involving Ooltewah High School basketball players.
The emails came to light recently as motions are being heard involving lawsuits filed over that incident.
Now, just as they felt they were kept in the dark about details of the initial incident in Gatlinburg, Tenn., during a basketball tournament, board members said they were uncertain about what Bennett may have done or not done, and why.
“I need some more information,” said District 3 board member Joe Smith, who was not on the board when the initial incident took place.