CHARDON, Ohio — Chardon school officials confirm to 3News that a criminal investigation is underway after the resignation of former high school principal Doug Murray last week.
After an internal investigation, the district reports that Murray "altered student academic records." Specifically, Chardon school officials say Murray made "unauthorized" changes of two grades involving two students. "At this time, there is no evidence of additional grade changes beyond the two documented incidents," the district added in a statement released on Thursday.
The Chardon Police Department is now investigating the matter.
“We go in, we gather the facts, we’ll determine what was done, what wasn’t done, under what circumstances, and then ultimately we’ll decide, in concert with the prosecutor, whether a criminal charge is appropriate or not," Chardon Police Chief Scott Niehus told 3News' Isabel Lawrence.
According to a report filed to the Ohio Department of Education's Office of Personal Conduct, a complaint about Murray was first given to Chardon Local Schools Superintendent Dr. Michael Hanlon in January of this year. "In response, the District completed a timely internal investigation and determined Mr. Murray violated Board of Education Policy, District procedure and likely the Educator Licensure Code on at least two occasions by altering student academic records resulting in potential gain for for the students involved as a result of the record modifications," Chardon Local Schools wrote in the report.
"We are reviewing the affected students’ grades to ensure they reflect the students’ actual performance. More importantly, we are implementing a software monitoring system that alerts school district personnel of any data changes to help prevent a similar incident from happening in the future. We take seriously any action that compromises the integrity of student grades and will continue to research opportunities to further strengthen our data systems," Chardon school leaders added in the release.
You can read the full release from Chardon Local Schools from Thursday below:
Murray's resignation was tendered on Feb. 9. In a letter to the community, he wrote that he had "chosen to resign from my position at Chardon High School for personal reasons that need my complete focus."
Hanlon informed the school community about Murray's resignation on Monday. Below is the entire letter:
I regret to inform you that Mr. Douglas Murray submitted his resignation as Chardon High School Principal on February 9, 2024. Earlier today, I met with CHS staff to share this news and the message Mr. Murray wrote for the CHS community. He shared that he is resigning effective immediately for personal reasons that require his complete focus.
Mr. Murray served as an effective principal in the building for more than a decade. During his tenure, he was responsible for moving the school and district forward, establishing new programs and developing growth opportunities for students and staff.
We support Mr. Murray in his decision and wish him well in his future endeavors. He has asked that the community respect his family and privacy at this time, and we encourage you to support him in that as well.
The District is evaluating options to support the leadership team on an interim basis until a complete search can be completed and a new principal is appointed. We will provide an update when we have information to share in this regard.
Here is the resignation letter from Murray:
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