Published: April 30, 2008 01:05 am            

NEWFANE SCHOOLS: District will pay legal bill for board members

NEWFANE — The school district will pay for any legal fees Newfane school board President Donna Pieszala and Vice President Gretchen DeWitt may incur while defending themselves against a complaint filed against them with the state education department.

The complaint was filed by Newfane board member Carl Stieffenhofer, who asked if he would have the same coverage if he were to have legal fees arise in connection with the complaint.

“If you have this issue, the board then can decide what they’re going to do on an individual basis,” Pieszala said.

The question arose at the last school board meeting, last Wednesday, about whether the district would pay for the legal expenses, since DeWitt and Pieszala serve on the board. Superintendent Gary Pogorzelski announced the filing of the complaint by Stieffenhofer at the same meeting.

There won’t be a cap on how much the district would pay in legal fees. The board approved paying the expenses, with only Stieffenhofer voting no. Who will defend Pieszala and DeWitt still has to be decided.

“It’s unknown what law firms will be defending,” Pieszala said.

At a previous meeting, the Newfane board awarded bids to R.B. Mac Construction, Hoot Inc. and L.D. Johnson Plumbing and Heating, for the capital project to be done this summer. At Tuesday’s meeting, the school board awarded CIR Electric a bid for the electric work needed in the capital project. Pogorzelski said the project will be working on a lot of little things in the district, but will focus on Newfane Middle School and its heating system.

In light of the Wilson School District’s alleged abuse incident, Pogorzelski said a meeting with the district’s safety committee would be scheduled very quickly and the members would be notified soon. He added that the district is reviewing its policies about bullying and hazing, a letter will be sent to coaches and administrators, and training about appropriate behavior will be set up for the students.

“We’re trying to be proactive,” he said.

Contact reporter Joe Olenickat 439-9222, ext. 6241.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.