Missouri Valley superintendent confirms teacher on paid administrative leave
Don Harrold, Executive Editor
don.harrold@enterprisepub.com
Missouri Valley Superintendent Christi Gochenour confirmed Oct. 15 that a teacher was on paid administrative leave and said the district had followed legal requirements. Her two email replies did not provide details about when the leave began, which agencies had been notified or what steps the district had taken.
The replies followed questions from the Harrison County Times-Reporter about a Missouri Valley Voices report alleging an inappropriate relationship between a teacher and a student. The Times-Reporter has not independently verified that allegation, and the superintendent’s confirmation of administrative leave does not establish wrongdoing.
During an Oct. 15 conversation with Times-Reporter Executive Editor Don Harrold, Gochenour acknowledged receiving the newspaper’s earlier emails and said she would not respond because the matter involved personnel. She also said the Missouri Valley Voices report contained incorrect information.
At 9:02 p.m. that evening, Harrold emailed Gochenour to ask her to identify those inaccuracies and clarify the district’s position. He also asked her to correct his account of their conversation if he had misunderstood her.
The email noted that the newspaper had received no written response to its Sept. 28 email or a subsequent follow-up. It acknowledged possible limits on information the district could disclose about employees and students and said the newspaper was not seeking student identities or protected information.
At 9:05 p.m., Gochenour replied: “As I said tonight, the district has no comment on this issue as it is a personnel issue.” An obvious typographical error in that reply has been corrected.
At 9:06 p.m., she sent a second reply: “We have a teacher on paid administrative leave and we have followed the legal requirements.” She did not specify which legal requirements she was referring to or describe the actions taken to meet them.
The newspaper’s email included these seven questions:
The questions about quotations referred to statements attributed to Gochenour in the Missouri Valley Voices report, including that the teacher was on “paid administrative leave pending further information” and that “All agencies required by law were notified.” The Times-Reporter asked her to verify those statements rather than treating them as independently confirmed.
Gochenour’s second reply answered part of the question about the teacher’s employment status by confirming paid administrative leave as of Oct. 15. Neither reply identified specific inaccuracies in the other publication’s report, provided a timeline of the district’s response, identified agencies notified or described student safety measures and resources for parents.
At 9:11 p.m., Harrold acknowledged Gochenour’s replies and reiterated the newspaper’s interest in obtaining information for parents. He told her he would not repeat the questions already emailed unless new information came to light.
The newspaper’s initial email requested a response by 9 a.m. Oct. 19 and invited Gochenour to request additional time. It also stated that a decision not to comment would not be presented as evidence that the allegations were true.
