Middletown schools investigation concludes some allegations against superintendent ‘more likely than not’ true

After an investigative report found alleged sexual harassment and other management misconduct, Middletown schools are looking for a new leader.

The Board of Education in late April began a search to replace Superintendent of Schools Michael Conner, who resigned a month before the city put out a report concluding he “more than likely” had “made romantic or sexual statements and advances toward a senior administrator that were unwelcome,” the report reads.

The report capped a year of turmoil in the upper ranks of the school administration, and it’s still unclear how the school board will deal with two other senior administrators whose conduct was condemned by investigators.

Board Chair Deborah Cain could not be reached Tuesday evening, but Mayor Ben Florsheim said he believes the school system is ready to rebuild.

“This marks the end of a difficult chapter for our schools and our community, and there is much work ahead for us to do in support of our students, teachers and school staff,” he said.

Florsheim urged the school board to include parents and others in that work, saying “I ask for full transparency and community involvement in the board’s next steps for the district.”

School union leaders said they won’t accept anything less.

“Our union coalition intends to work with both the board of education and city leaders to prevent a repeat of the systemic problems that prompted the investigation,” the Middletown Union Coalition said in a statement Monday.

Rumors about complaints of workplace harassment and intimidation in the school system swirled through the first half of 2021, but the school board said nothing publicly. By mid-October, the Middletown Union Coalition took the matter public by telling the council at an open meeting that it was losing hope of getting any resolution.

“Our members no longer feel safe expressing these concerns through channels provided by the Board of Education and city of Middletown,” Ann Gregg, president of one of the school unions, said at the time.

Just days later, Conner put in for a leave of absence under the Family Medical Leave Act. The board agreed but gave no detailed account of what was happening. In January, the board said he had been put on administrative leave pending an independent investigation commissioned by its legal firm, Shipman & Goodwin.

In early March, the board announced that Conner had resigned, citing his family’s safety. He had received what he called a “hate packet” — a lengthy letter sent to his home from someone in the community and containing what he called racist language and death threats. Police investigated but concluded there was no crime.

This month, the board directed Shipman & Goodwin to release a summary of the investigation. The four-page letter — based on months of interviews with more than 90 people — dealt primarily with numerous allegations against Conner, including that he had allegedly sexually harassed a staff member.

Without identifying the staffer or detailing the conduct, it concluded that he “more likely than not” had made unwanted advances. But it also did not substantiate a complaint that he had tried to intimidate two building administrators into saying a teacher had engaged in racist behavior. It also did not substantiate that he failed to supervise two subordinates, nor that he used race to discriminate in hiring decisions.

“The findings of fact highlight areas of deficiency in the administration and operation of of the school district which are generally consistent with many of the allegations presented to the board in the fall of 2021,” according to a board statement.

Conner could not be reached for comment, but gave a statement to The Middletown Press denying any wrongdoing. His statement characterized the report’s finding as “character-damaging insinuation.”

The investigative team specified that it had interviewed numerous administrators and other school staff, but said he declined to speak.