UPDATE: Blogger craigam left the following comment on Brian's Blog and instead of just posting it as a comment which Brian's Blog has done, it needs to be highlighted in an UPDATE to the post. Karen Craig, I do not know her but the story craigam shares is disheartening. Individuals spend their whole career for this.
There was at least one other person hurt by Knox County School’s mishandling of these unfounded allegations. Karen Craig was a secretary at Powell High School for almost 20 years. She was reassigned to Fulton High School. Russ Oaks was quoted as saying Dr. Lindsey “thought it was necessary”. During a meeting with Dr. Sims in the H.R. department she was told she had done nothing wrong and given no valid reason for the move.
No evidence of a sexual relationship between Kallenburg and Smith was found because it never occurred. It was always just rumors forwarded by a few disgruntled individuals. I also doubt that any evidence of grade changing will be found. Or, if it is, no proof linking Kallenburg or Psihogios will be found. Knox County Schools will just revert to charges of lost control or inappropriate conduct since these charges can be defined any way they desire.
In the end, a dedicated principal will seek retirement, a good assistance principal will have her reputation forever in question, and a loyal secretary will have lost all trust for the school system leadership. Dr. Lindsey will be bought out, take his money and leave the Knox County School system in a mess.
Greg Issacs is right, the School Board must investigate the investigation. What did they know and when did they know it.
UPDATE: Saturday August 12, 2006 5:45 am - The Knoxville News Sentinel has a fairly extensive story in today's edition. Here is the whole story. Here are the interesting snipits from the story.
Isaacs said his client would be completely cleared when the investigation is concluded.
He also said that he intended to contact the Knox County school board Monday and ask it "to investigate this investigation."
Isaacs said he wanted to know when school officials, including Superintendent Charles Lindsey, knew there was no evidence of sexual misconduct.
What did they know and when did they know it.
He also wanted to know if they had left that allegation hanging over Kallenberg's head after they knew no evidence supported it.
"Unfortunately people have chosen to taint a person of great integrity with a cloud of suspicion and innuendo that had no basis in fact. So now what we are doing is conducting an investigation about the investigation," he added.
He contends that if Kallenberg had been a male educator the case would have been handled differently.
Isaacs said Lindsey spoke about the issue of sexual misconduct involving teachers and students on a Knoxville radio program Thursday but did not mention that Kallenberg was being cleared.
"But yet he chose to give a false impression, in our opinion, about Kim," Isaacs said.
There was at least one other person hurt by Knox County School’s mishandling of these unfounded allegations. Karen Craig was a secretary at Powell High School for almost 20 years. She was reassigned to Fulton High School. Russ Oaks was quoted as saying Dr. Lindsey “thought it was necessary”. During a meeting with Dr. Sims in the H.R. department she was told she had done nothing wrong and given no valid reason for the move.
No evidence of a sexual relationship between Kallenburg and Smith was found because it never occurred. It was always just rumors forwarded by a few disgruntled individuals. I also doubt that any evidence of grade changing will be found. Or, if it is, no proof linking Kallenburg or Psihogios will be found. Knox County Schools will just revert to charges of lost control or inappropriate conduct since these charges can be defined any way they desire.
In the end, a dedicated principal will seek retirement, a good assistance principal will have her reputation forever in question, and a loyal secretary will have lost all trust for the school system leadership. Dr. Lindsey will be bought out, take his money and leave the Knox County School system in a mess.
Greg Issacs is right, the School Board must investigate the investigation. What did they know and when did they know it.
UPDATE: Saturday August 12, 2006 5:45 am - The Knoxville News Sentinel has a fairly extensive story in today's edition. Here is the whole story. Here are the interesting snipits from the story.
Isaacs said his client would be completely cleared when the investigation is concluded.
He also said that he intended to contact the Knox County school board Monday and ask it "to investigate this investigation."
Isaacs said he wanted to know when school officials, including Superintendent Charles Lindsey, knew there was no evidence of sexual misconduct.
What did they know and when did they know it.
He also wanted to know if they had left that allegation hanging over Kallenberg's head after they knew no evidence supported it.
"Unfortunately people have chosen to taint a person of great integrity with a cloud of suspicion and innuendo that had no basis in fact. So now what we are doing is conducting an investigation about the investigation," he added.
He contends that if Kallenberg had been a male educator the case would have been handled differently.
Isaacs said Lindsey spoke about the issue of sexual misconduct involving teachers and students on a Knoxville radio program Thursday but did not mention that Kallenberg was being cleared.
"But yet he chose to give a false impression, in our opinion, about Kim," Isaacs said.
The school system referred the allegation to the Department of Children's Services, but DCS is not investigating it.
"The Kallenberg case involved adults, and DCS only investigates cases involving children," said Rob Johnson, director of communications at DCS.
On the radio on Thursday, the Hallerin Hilton Hill Show broadcast on NewsTalk 100.3, the Superintendent said that they were required to "hand it over to DS." there was a pause, like someone was providing him information and he said DCS. Those individuals handling the investigation for the School system should have known with all their work with DCS they do not handle adult compliants.
In the aftermath of the investigation, Kallenberg also filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education, contending the Knox County Board of Education violated the Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
She later filed a second claim with the Human Rights Commission claiming that the school system was harassing her husband as a result of her filings.
This is where this incident could get interesting. A ruling against the school district from the U.S. DOE on a violation of FERPA could jeopardize the entire portion of federal funding coming to the school district.
UPDATE: Whitney Daniel filed this report on Volunteer TV WVLT at 6:00 pm following the 5:30 pm News Conference with Mrs. Kallenberg and her Attorney Greg Issacs. Here are some interesting quotes from today's news coverage.
Issacs says the Knox County Board of Education knew from the start allegations were false and did not acknowledge that immediately. "Why didn't you save this person, this mother, and this wife, the humiliation and embarrassment in this community, statewide and on the internet" asks Greg Issacs, Kallenberg's Attorney.
"My family and I have been devastated by the falsehood of these allegations and I do want my family and my friends and my students to know that the remaining allegations are also false," says Kallenberg.
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This from KnoxNews. Powell High School Assistant Principal Kim Kallenberg has been cleared of any inappropriate sexual conduct with Joseph Lee Smith or any student.
Brian's Blog has refrained from any comment on this story, until NOW.
Russ Oaks, County School Superintendent Spokesperson went out on this story early and made the case. He later backed off after this story lived in the media for three or four days and then Kallenberg entered the public arena with an aggressive defense of NOT GUILTY.
Now, the County School System acknowledges through their attorney Marty McCampbell that Kallenberg is NOT GUILTY. Many persons and families have been damaged by this "investigation" based on rumors. First Kim and Jason Kallenberg as they have been subjected to separate investigations. Joseph Lee Smith, who would have probably never consumed alcohol on that night which resulted in him getting pulled over for DUI had this public investigation never been launched. Lee Smith's father was exposed by Scripps weekly alternative publication the Halls Shopper, so Darryl Smith has been harmed by this investigation and Diane Psihogios , the principal at Powell has been harmed in her removal from the Principal position at Powell.
The Powell community has been damaged. The School System has some explaning to do. The School System should be forced to bring forward the accusers to expose them for their slanderous, malicious actions.
Sports Talk Radio for many days declared these innocent people, guilty. This is proof that you can not believe what you see and hear about people. You can not believe what you hear on talk radio. In the words of the late Alex Hailey, you "need to find the good and praise it".
Kim and Jason, Lee, Darryl, Diane and the Powell community deserve better than this.
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