Report: Alpena school administration acted properly in handling of Berriman suspension, termination
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ALPENA -- Alpena Public Schools Superintendent David Rabbideau and his administration acted properly and within their rights in their handling of Ella White Principal Tom Berriman's suspension and their recommendation that he be fired, according to an outside investigative report released this week by the APS Board of Education.
Rabbideau placed Berriman on paid administrative leave in November over Berriman's alleged mishandling of two student discipline incidents. Rabbideau later recommended Berriman's termination.
In response, Berriman filed his own complaints over Rabbideau's actions.
The board then hired the outside firm to investigate Berriman's complaints.
The investigation by the firm Rehmann and submitted by Bill Kowalski, a 25-year veteran of the FBI, said Rabbideau's actions were justified.
"It is clear the process followed was fair, thorough and unbiased, and provided the intelligence and facts necessary for Superintendent Rabbideau to make an informed recommendation to the School Board for their consideration," the report's conclusion said. "It is further clear the behavior of Principal Berriman, viewable on the video of the hallway incident, met the bar required for further investigation and consideration by the Superintendent for appropriate disciplinary action. The nature of the action recommended by the Superintendent subsequent to the completion of the process was within his discretion."
Berriman declined to comment this week in response to the investigation's findings.
On March 27, the school board, in a six-to-one vote, decided not to renew Berriman's contract when it expires June 30.
Berriman got a chance to address the board two weeks before the board's final decision and admitted during a termination hearing in February that he could have handled both situations better.
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Rehmann Investigator Report — Tom Berriman by James Andersen on Scribd
The Rehmann investigation saw the review of video and emails sent by the parties involved as well as interviews of those involved to produce a timeline of events that was then used to determine the veracity of Berriman's complaints.
According to a district press release, the alleged incidents occurred in early November 2022 -- one in a school vestibule and another in a school hallway. One of the alleged incidents saw Berriman pick up the student and carry the student to his office.
The board emphasized this week that Berriman didn't ask for assistance regarding student behavior until after both alleged incidents had occurred.
Berriman had previously said he reached out to district administration for assistance with no response and told the board that the student's parent authorized district employees to take any action necessary to address the student's behavior.
The board asserts that employees cannot take actions that violate board policy or federal and state law.
In a statement released with the investigation's findings, the board also stated that at no point during either alleged incident was the student a danger to themselves and that, while there are instances in which physical intervention is appropriate, it was not necessary in either case.