Former Shelley principal to face oversight commission
Former Shelley High School Principal Eric Lords has signed a stipulation order for the State Department of Education’s Professional Standards Commission. The Commission will consider the document at its next meeting in Boise June 20 and 21.
Lords resigned his position in December 2018 when the school district began to look into overspending issues.
The agreement, signed by Lords in April, indicates that as a result of an audit, the district discovered several irregularities in accounting procedures for an account at Shelley High School. Further investigation showed several questionable purchases had been made using the Shelley High School credit and debit cards.
According to the document, the purchases included a 50-gallon water heater ($361.81), a family ski pass to Grand Targhee Ski Resort ($2,049), powder coating services ($319.77), lawn care services ($289) and a set of chrome pipes for an ATV ($698.99).
During questioning after the audit, the district superintendent and business manager stated they got “less than forthright responses” from Lords. Lords later admitted to charging the items to the school and paid the district $3,720 to reimburse the school.
The Executive Committee of the State Commission determined there was probable cause for initiating administrative action for violation of the State Board of Education’s code of ethics.
If the commission approves the stipulation and an accompanying consent order, Lords administrator certificate could be suspended for two years. He would also be required to complete a 3-credit ethics course. The order would not relate to Lord’s teaching certificate.
