Cascade Board places superintendent on paid leave, appoints spokesperson and assigns duties to Jason Weeks

The Cascade Board of Education voted during a public session to place Superintendent Darren Drill on paid administrative leave while the district pursues a third-party investigation into allegations raised in a recent lawsuit.

A committee member moved Resolution 5a to place Drill on paid administrative leave pending the results of an investigation retained by legal counsel; the motion was seconded and approved after members signaled “aye.” A separate motion, Resolution 5b, appointed Brett Stegall as the district’s spokesperson for the investigation; that motion also passed. The board then approved Resolution 5c, temporarily assigning the duties of superintendent to Jason Weeks until Drill returns from administrative leave.

“We appreciate his willingness to step aside while we conduct a third party investigation into the allegations contained within the recent lawsuit,” a committee member said after the board reconvened. The chair clarified the interim operational arrangement and instructed that staff should route inquiries through Weeks: “Our intention is that you will be the gatekeeper for any contact that any staff has with Mister Drill prior to them reaching out to him.” Jason Weeks replied, “Yes, sir.”

The board cited legal counsel and a statutory basis for discussing litigation in executive session before returning to open session to take the resolutions up. The statute referenced at the start of the meeting was recited by a board member as “s 192.6602 h” when describing the basis for consulting counsel about current litigation; the board stated it would not conduct regular business while in executive session and would report in public session on actions taken.

All three resolutions were presented, seconded and adopted by voice vote; the transcript records members answering “aye” and the chair declaring the motions carried. The board did not record roll-call tallies in the transcript.

The immediate operational effect is that Jason Weeks will perform superintendent duties and act as the point of contact for staff communications concerning Drill during the leave period, and Brett Stegall will serve as the district’s public-facing spokesperson on matters related to the investigation. The board said the leave is paid and will continue pending the results of the third-party inquiry retained by legal counsel.

The meeting concluded after the votes and the chair adjourned the session. The board provided no timetable for the investigation in the public transcript and did not specify a date when Drill might return; those details were described as pending the investigation’s outcome.