City Schools Decatur has hired attorney Jonathan R. Poole as an impartial third-party investigating Decatur High media clerk Susan Riley.
According to the terms of engagement Poole, a partner with Atlanta firm Strickland Brockington Lewis, says he will “conduct an investigation … into the termination of an employee, and whether or not the superintendent received accurate information about the reasons for the employee’s termination.”
Poole writes that his fee is $235 per hour although other attorneys “whose hourly rates are less than mine may occasionally assist me.” There is no indication here how long the process will take.
The terms were forwarded to the AJC by Decatur attorney Debra Golymbieski replying to an open-records request.
Riley, 61, has worked at the high school for 19 years. A non-certified clerk whose salary falls below that of a beginning teacher, she was fired by CSD Superintendent David Dude on Feb. 26, concurrent with her seeking a promotion and a potential raise.
The termination confused Riley, who told the AJC on Feb. 27 that she's "always had perfect evaluations—I've never been written up."
On Feb. 28 her status was changed to suspension with pay pending investigation after hundreds of Riley supporters sent emails and posted messages on social media. Dude has said that he personally received and answered over 100 emails regarding Riley.
Several days after that suspension, Riley’s attorney David Hughes released the charges against her as related by Dude. In summary:
- Misappropriating school equipment by taking home an iPad that had been purchased for Riley's use in 2012.
- Failing to follow a new job plan, which essentially prevented her from assisting faculty members with technical issues which, Hughes said, "she has done for years."
- In Hughes' words Dude said Riley "inappropriately complained to the administration about mistreatment of her" by her superiors."
- She "failed to keep confidential a human resources investigation regarding her complaints."
Dude has since told the AJC there are more charges against Riley than what Hughes publicized. He added that there are also “inaccuracies” in some of the reports about the charges.
At the time he released the charges Hughes said, “My concern, the reasons they’re giving for the termination are a pretext, a cover for the real reason, like possibly her age.”
As of Wednesday night 110 people had raised $6,340 in a Go Fund Me account for Riley’s legal expenses. On March 7 Riley told the AJC she wasn’t certain, but thought she’d already “gone through” all the Go Fund Me money raised up through that day.
Poole’s letter said his engagement with CSD began March 7. On March 8 and 9 Dude, the board, Hughes and Riley all agreed not to release the investigator’s name, nor discuss details of his work.
“The reason is not to keep secrets,” Board Chair Annie Caiola said last weekend. “We want to preserve and protect the integrity of an impartial investigation. Very few know all the facts leading to [Riley’s initial] termination. We don’t want [anyone without this knowledge] influencing the investigation.”
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