Liverpool School Board Orders Employee Examination Under State Education Law
At its Feb. 25, 2025 meeting, the Liverpool Board of Education voted unanimously to direct an employee discussed in executive session to undergo an examination by Dr. Richard Ciccione under Section 913 of the New York Education Law, after a closed session that also covered a disciplinary matter, a job candidate interview and details of a potential superintendent's contract. The board also created a new Network Administrator position, advanced three policy revisions and approved a baseball trip and a BOCES services contract.
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▶Key Actions & Decisions
●• Directed an employee discussed in executive session to undergo an examination by Dr. Richard Ciccione under Section 913 of the New York Education Law — 8-0
●• Executive session covered interviewing a job candidate, a matter that may lead to employee discipline, and details of a potential superintendent's contract — 8-0
●• Created a 1.0 FTE Network Administrator position, part of a bundled Routine Business resolution — 7-0 with 1 abstention (Jecenia Bresett)
●• Approved personnel actions, special education and preschool special education placements, surplus items, and budget amendment and transfer resolutions, all under the same Routine Business motion — 7-0 with 1 abstention (Bresett) each time
●• Acknowledged second reading of revisions to Policy 5661, first reading of revisions to Policy 7554, and first reading of a proposal to rescind Policy 7556 — 8-0 each
●• Approved a baseball trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C. — 8-0
●• Authorized the 2025-2026 Madison-Oneida BOCES Final Request for Services contract — 8-0
●• Accepted gifts and grants presented to the district — 7-0 with 1 abstention (Bresett)
●• Heard public comments from Michael and Josephine Murphy on an "LHS Incident and District Response" and from Camryn Chaffee on implementing a Reality Check after-school program
●• Recognized Donlin Drive Elementary School with a POOLS Award; meeting adjourned at 9:19 p.m.
The Liverpool Board of Education emerged from executive session on Feb. 25 to take a specific, legally cited action: directing an employee to undergo an examination by Dr. Richard Ciccione under Section 913 of the New York Education Law. The resolution is narrowly worded, applying only to "an employee discussed in executive session", and it followed a closed-door session in which the board had taken up, among other items, a matter that may lead to employee discipline. All eight members present voted in favor.
The board's executive session that night covered three separate matters: interviewing a candidate for a position, discussing the disciplinary matter, and discussing details of a potential contract for a permanent superintendent. The district is currently led by Douglas Lawrence, listed in the minutes as Interim Superintendent, who was present for the meeting. The minutes give no further detail on the superintendent search or its timeline. Board members Nicholas Blaney, Hayley Downs, Kimberly Martin, Jecenia Bresett, Daniel McKeever, Stacey Chilbert, John Solazzo and Matthew Jones voted in favor of both entering executive session and the subsequent examination order.
Much of the rest of the Feb. 25 agenda moved through a single Routine Business resolution, repeated across nine consecutive items: approval of minutes from a Feb. 3 special meeting, creation of a 1.0 FTE Network Administrator position, personnel actions, placements recommended by the district's Committee on Special Education and Committee on Preschool Special Education, acceptance of surplus items, and budget amendment and transfer resolutions. Each item carried by the same margin — seven votes in favor, with Bresett abstaining. Bresett voted yes on every other matter that came before the board that night, including the policy items, the executive session, and the examination order; the minutes do not explain the abstentions.
The board also advanced three policy actions: acknowledging a second reading of proposed revisions to Policy 5661, a first reading of proposed revisions to Policy 7554, and a first reading of a proposal to rescind Policy 7556 outright. All three passed unanimously.
In other for-action items, the board approved a baseball trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C.; authorized the district's 2025-2026 Madison-Oneida BOCES Final Request for Services contract; and accepted gifts and grants presented to the district, which again passed 7-0 with Bresett abstaining.
During the public communications portion of the meeting, Michael and Josephine Murphy addressed the board on an item listed in the minutes as "LHS Incident and District Response", and Camryn Chaffee spoke about implementing a Reality Check after-school program at the middle and high school levels. The minutes do not elaborate on the substance of either matter. Earlier in the meeting, the board recognized Donlin Drive Elementary School with a POOLS Award.
The meeting opened at 6 p.m. and adjourned at 9:19 p.m. The board's next regular meeting is scheduled for March 10, with a public hearing and a budget workshop both set for March 17 at the District Office.
This article was drafted by AI (claude-sonnet-agent) from the official meeting transcript and reviewed by a human editor.
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●• Approved minutes from four prior sessions — the Jan. 17 special meeting, the Jan. 21 public hearing, the Jan. 21 regular meeting and the Jan. 28 special meeting — each 9-0.
●• Approved Committee on Preschool Special Education and Committee on Special Education placement recommendations, a surplus-items list and routine business items — all 9-0.
●• Recognized Soule Road Elementary School with a POOLS Award.
●• Adopted increased income limits for partial property tax exemptions for senior citizens and persons with disabilities — 9-0 roll call.
●• Adopted partial property tax exemptions for Volunteer Firefighters and Ambulance Workers — 9-0 roll call.
●• Adopted partial property tax exemptions for Veterans — 8-0 roll call, Hayley Downs abstaining.
●• Authorized a Special District Meeting for March 27, 2025 — 9-0 roll call.
●• Created a 1.0 FTE Clerk II position — 7-0, Jecenia Bresett and Kimberly Melnik abstaining.
●• Acknowledged receipt of the November 2024 Treasurer's Report (9-0) and approved personnel actions as submitted (8-0, Stacey Chilbert abstaining).
●• Entered executive session to confer with district counsel on an ongoing investigation, with the district's audit firm on confidential information that could lead to investigating particular persons, and on a potential appointment of a person or corporation, then returned to open session and adjourned — all 9-0.
On a Night of Unanimous Votes, Liverpool's School Board Did Its Real Business Behind Closed Doors
●• Approved the March 10 regular meeting minutes, the March 17 budget workshop minutes and the March 17 public hearing minutes as submitted — Motion Carried, 8-0.
●• Approved personnel actions, preschool and school-age special education placements, surplus items, gifts and grants, and a budget amendment as part of a single block of routine business — Motion Carried, 8-0.
●• Approved second readings of revisions to Policy 7554 and the deletion of Policy 7556 — Motion Carried, 8-0 on each.
●• Approved revisions to Policy 5661 — Motion Carried, 8-0.
●• Tabled the proposed 2025-2026 school calendar for further discussion; no vote was recorded.
●• Approved the Annual Meeting Resolution by roll call vote — Motion Carried, 8-0.
●• Appointed Kara Young, Maria Knapp, Catherine Morabito and Melinda Mayer as Election Inspectors for the 2024-2025 school year at their contractual rate — Motion Carried, 8-0.
●• Approved, by roll call vote, a SEQRA Type II Determination for the 2025-2026 Capital Outlay Project as prepared by counsel — Motion Carried, 8-0.
●• Accepted the resignation of an employee identified in the minutes only as Employee 07031, effective April 4, 2025, and approved a separation agreement with that employee — Motion Carried, 8-0.
●• Voted to dissolve four inactive Liverpool High School clubs — Academic Decathlon, Bass Club, National Junior Honor Society and Student Ambassadors Club — and transfer remaining student activity funds to the Student Council account — Motion Carried, 8-0.
●• Entered executive session on matters connected to collective bargaining under Article 14 of the Civil Service Law and tenure recommendations; returned to open session at 9:49 p.m. and approved the MOA between the district and Unite-HERE Local 150 — Motion Carried, 8-0.
●• Approved minutes from the March 24 regular meeting and the March 25 capital project referendum. Motion carried 7-0.
●• Approved a Budget Amendment as presented and acknowledged receipt of the January 2025 Treasurer's Report. Motion carried 7-0 each.
●• Approved surplus items and the remaining Routine Business items as submitted. Motion carried 7-0 each.
●• Recognized Liverpool High School for a POOLS Award.
●• Approved revisions to Policy 7554 and the deletion of Policy 7556. Motion carried 7-0 each.
●• Approved creation of the APISA - Asian and Pacific Islander Student Association Club. Motion carried 7-0.
●• Modified the 2024-2025 School Calendar and adopted the 2025-2026 School Calendar. Motion carried 7-0 each.
●• Entered executive session at 6:51 p.m. for a disciplinary appeal, the Superintendent Search and tenure recommendations; returned to public session at 8:18 p.m., an 87-minute closed session.
●• Denied the appeal of "Student #1's" long-term suspension and directed Interim Superintendent Brian Nolan to notify the parent/guardian. Motion carried 8-1, with Stacey Chilbert casting the lone Nay.
●• Adjourned at 8:19 p.m. Motion carried unanimously.
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