Longview acting superintendent says arrests prompted administrative leaves as community demands accountability

Patty Bowen, acting superintendent and executive director of Longview Public Schools, said the district is cooperating with law enforcement after the arrest of Dr. Karen Cloninger and the referral of potential charges involving other staff. Bowen told the board the district has placed Cloninger and multiple employees, including Andrew Schoonover, on administrative leave and has retained an outside investigator to review whether district employees followed the law and district policies.

The announcement came as dozens of community members used the meeting's public-comment period to press for clarity and accountability. Robert Mumford, a retired child-welfare social worker, told the board the information that has emerged "raises serious concerns not only about what allegedly occurred, but even more about how those concerns were handled." Mumford urged mandatory-reporting training and policy changes to prevent future failures to report to proper authorities.

Several parents and community members questioned why the board previously extended the superintendent's contract while allegations and internal concerns were allegedly known. A reporter from The Center Square asked on the record: "If in fact the board knew the superintendent was hiding things or asking staff not to discuss the very serious assaults detailed by police, why was her contract unanimously extended?" The board did not provide a substantive response during public comment.

Bowen said the district has limited ability to share details because the matter involves student privacy, active investigations and legal proceedings, but she emphasized that administrative leave is a non-disciplinary step to allow fair fact-finding. Bowen said the district engaged an outside investigator, identified in the meeting as Jill Smith of a firm reported verbally by Bowen, to evaluate adherence to law and district procedures and that information from investigations will be used to determine future accountability actions.

Community speakers pushed the board to ratify emergency actions and called for outside reviews. Sean Turpin, an online commenter, said records and staff warnings "showed the board repeatedly chose to defend administration, minimize concerns and avoid transparency," and urged the board to explain whether it followed public-notice requirements during recent emergency meetings.

The board announced it would move into an executive session under state law later in the meeting to discuss legal matters and potential litigation. No formal board action on personnel or contract terminations was announced during the regular meeting.

Next steps: the district said it will continue cooperating with law enforcement and the outside investigator; the board scheduled no immediate public vote on superintendent employment during the meeting.