Superintendent Dr. Brad Buck’s Comments – August 8th, 2016, Board of Education Meeting

I want to begin with the reminder that there is a student victim involved in this case, as well as
other students and staff who reported concerns and student witnesses involved. So while there
is a rush to demand details about the investigation, I am hopeful that upon reflection by the
adult members in our community, there will be a realization about the important work that is
underway to protect these students and their identities. Our first priority as a district is to keep
our students safe.
Having said that, I do have a desire to provide as much information as I am able to at this point
in the process. My aspiration has been and is to be transparent and I believe that if you ask staff
members in particular, I have spent much of my first year in the district working to open
channels of communication.
Let me take some time now to tell you what I am able to provide, some lessons we have
learned in this process, and areas for improvement going forward that have been identified to
this point. The District trained administrators on investigation techniques in September of
2015. The training that the District provided in September would support an expectation,
especially for long term, experienced administrators, of the responsibilities they have to act in
cases of possible physical and/or sexual abuse of students, Bullying and Harassment, and other
more typical investigations that occur in schools. Furthermore, the District has readily
accessible policies to all administrators that serve as a guide to determining when a Level one
investigation would be necessary. The District designated Level one investigators each year at
the August board meeting. There were three designated in August of 2015. When it recently
came to our attention that our investigators required refresher training and recertification, the
two staff members out of three who remain in the District immediately took the training and
were recertified as investigators.
So, the District has identified some areas of improvement: (1) the need to formalize a process
for ensuring Level one investigators refresh their training on a regular basis within the
parameters of Iowa law; (2) the need for a central point of contact to verify compliance with
District wide Level one investigation training and certification; (3) regular training for
administrators regarding the type of investigation to be performed upon a complaint and
the appropriate investigative procedures to be used depending on the facts/circumstances of
each complaint; (4) the need for communication between the building administrators and the
District administrators about complaints and the nature/type of investigations occurring as a
result; and (5) the need to document and train administrators on when to remove substitute
teachers from the system the District uses with GWAEA and a process for reporting
that removal of substitute teachers from the system to a central point of contact at the District
Office. We are also considering an internal audit process to verify compliance with District
policies and investigative procedures.

 That said, the investigation should conclude shortly and we will issue a statement about the
findings that we are able to discuss publicly without identifying any confidential student or
personnel information.
Dr. Plagman has positively impacted and influenced the lives of thousands of students. As a
result, I understand that Dr. Plagman’s departure was distressing to not only the students,
parents and staff of the Washington High School community, but to staff across the District,
and to many others who knew, or had worked or served with Dr. Plagman through his tenure as
a school and community leader. I also understand that his absence creates a feeling of
uncertainty as the school year is just around the corner.
However, please understand that our actions were the result of careful deliberation based upon
sufficient evidence compiled at that time of the decision. Because it is a confidential student
and personnel matter, I am not able to respond to the various public comments made about
the decision other than to say that there were significant new concerns that came to be known
through the investigation. Those concerns and others were quickly validated at the outset of
the investigation which the District addressed to Dr. Plagman. Both the District and Dr.
Plagman agreed that it was in the best interests of both parties that he not return for the 20162017 school year. Dr. Plagman chose to retire early in light of those concerns.
We remain focused on supporting the students and staff members at Washington High School.
Specifically, we are working to bring in the Critical Incident Stress Management Team as a
support to staff members on their first day back August 16 th. These team members will also be
available to the Washington HS Staff Members in follow-up as is our Employee Assistance
Program. We are also working with that same team to discuss what we can do for students and
families who may be in need of support to start the school year.
A timeline has been established for the process to select an interim Principal and we will choose
the best internal candidate possible to lead the school before classes begin. I am heartened by
and appreciate the many community members who have acknowledged the importance of
welcoming and supporting that new leader, as well as staying positive and focused on the
future of the students and staff who head into a new school year.