51黑料

ST. LOUIS COUNTY 鈥� The superintendent of the Special School District of 51黑料 County has been placed on administrative leave for an 鈥渋nternal personnel matter,鈥� according to a memo sent Friday to staff members.

Elizabeth Keenan took the top role in the special education district in 2019 at a of $245,000. Keenan came to 51黑料 County after a two-year stint in Chicago Public Schools, where she led the district鈥檚 troubled special education program while it was under state oversight.

Most of the 23,000 students in the Special School District attend their home schools where they receive assistance from district staff. The district also oversees education in the county鈥檚 juvenile detention center and runs several specialized schools including North Tech and South Tech high schools. The district has a $500 million budget.

A subcommittee of the Special School District board met Friday afternoon in part to update the policy on discrimination, harassment and retaliation, according to the agenda. The full board then met in a special closed session.

An unsigned memo sent soon after to nearly 6,000 district employees came with several warnings involving Keenan鈥檚 departure.

鈥淓mployees should refrain from gossip or speculation regarding a confidential personnel matter such as this one. Such behavior detracts from one鈥檚 job duties and from the care and education of students, and should thus be avoided. Further, only the Board or its specific designees are authorized to speak publicly regarding this matter on behalf of the District,鈥� the memo read.

Staff were also reminded in the memo of anti-retaliation policies in the district, and told to discuss concerns with an administrator if they 鈥渁re experiencing any form of retaliation.鈥�

Michael Maclin, the district鈥檚 executive director of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, will become acting superintendent, according to the letter. Maclin started at Special School District in 2020 and has worked as a principal in the Parkway and University City school districts.