ROCORI Superintendent on Paid Administrative Leave Effective Immediately

(KNSI) — The Superintendent of the ROCORI School District is on paid administrative leave as of Thursday night.

The ROCORI school board voted to place Brad Kelvington on leave effective immediately. He tendered his resignation at the board’s February 14th meeting, saying he would pursue other leadership opportunities. School Board Chair Jennifer Bohnsack noted that the district wishes him “all the best in his future endeavors, and on his behalf, I pass on his thanks to the district and its staff, board, students and families for his time in ROCORI.”

Kelvington came to the ROCORI School District after former Superintendent Scott Staska was arrested and charged with several counts of indecent exposure. Staska was accused of exposing himself at St. Cloud and Waite Park stores between May 2017 and April 2018.

Before coming to ROCORI, Kelvington served as the Aitkin School District Superintendent and Foley Intermediate School Principal.

In late January, a local family filed a federal lawsuit against the district, alleging school officials did nothing to stop discrimination and racist harassment of their children.

KNSI also reported a story on Monday, February 14th, regarding parents expressing concerns over a contract signed with the group Equity Literacy Institute for teacher training and an equity committee. Parents said ELI used discriminatory tactics to deal with social problems and accuse the school of being less than transparent regarding who is on the equity committee, who vetted it, and how people are chosen to serve.

The school board contends that the leave is not due to any disciplinary issues against Kelvington. The board approved a contract for Sam Court, who currently serves as principal of John Clark Elementary School, to serve as interim superintendent until a new one is hired.

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