A suburban school board voted to place its superintendent on administrative leave on Friday amid an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct against a former staff member.
The Fenton School District 100 Board held an emergency meeting where members voted to put superintendent James Ongtengco on administrative leave and appointed Fenton High School's principal as interim superintendent.
At the meeting, the board spoke openly for the first time about the ex-staff member who was accused of criminal inappropriate conduct and how the claims were handled.
“If we’ve done anything wrong, we need to be corrected, and we need to step down," said board member Sylvia Hade.
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Hade became emotional when discussing how heavily the situation has weighed on her and her peers.
"I came here to be a fair voice for our students," she said.
While an investigation by the board hasn't been completed, some parents and students said they weren't happy with Friday night's developments.
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"What I had hoped was going to happen didn’t happen," one community member said.
The school board insisted it fully understands how parents and students feel about the ex-staffer's inappropriate conduct allegations. Some even apologized and explained they were working to make things right.
Fenton's principal will continue his administrative duties while also serving as interim superintendent, according to the board.
