WDBJ7 Roanoke News and Weather NRV Lynchburg Danville | Roanoke City School Board calls special meeting hours after Willis report
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Wednesday was the deadline for the panel to make its recommendation to the school board whether Willis should keep her job.UPDATED 9:47 p.m. Wednesday
The Roanoke City School board has called a special meeting, just hours after it received a recommendation about the future of William Fleming principal Susan Willis.
She is fighting for her job after being implicated in a Standards of Learning Cheating Scandal.
The Department of Education says administrators at William Fleming were changing student schedules so they wouldn't have to take certain SOL tests.
The DOE says Willis was largely behind the deception.
Willis filed a grievance after the school system tried to dismiss her.
She is currently on paid administrative leave.
The three member panel that heard Willis' grievance had until Wednesday to make its recommendation.
We're told school board members received that recommendation Wednesday afternoon and under state guidelines it does NOT have to be made public.
The school board has NOT been able to take any action against Willis until the grievance process was over.
Under state law, Willis has the right to file a grievance because she is a public employee.
A three member panel heard the grievance at the Hotel Roanoke over several days in August and September.
The human resources director for Roanoke City schools, the volleyball coach at William Fleming High School, and a local attorney were picked to serve on that panel.
They had to make a recommendation to the school board as to whether Willis should keep her job.
The school board has the final say and members will meet Monday night to discuss a personnel issue.
We assume it will be about Susan Willis, but technically the school board has 30 days to make a decision.
It probably won't take 30 days, but keep in mind the school board has been given a transcript of the grievance proceedings which we know is several thousand pages.
That may take awhile.
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News7 has learned the Roanoke City School Board received a recommendation about the future for William Fleming Principal Susan Willis.
Willis filed a grievance after the school system tried to dismiss her over a cheating scandal involving the Standards of Learning tests. Willis has that right under state law because she is a public employee.
A three member panel heard the grievance during several days in August and September.
Wednesday was the deadline for the panel to make its recommendation to the school board whether Willis should keep her job.
The recommendation does not have to be made public. It was delivered to each school board member by 5 p.m.
