Sarasota School District abruptly removes police chief, names interim
The Sarasota County School District abruptly announced late last Friday it had removed Duane Oakes from his position as the chief of the district's police department and executive director of safety and security.
Oakes had been the chief of the Sarasota County Schools Police Department since January 2022, and had been an officer with the School District agency since it was established in 2018.
The district's interim superintendent, Allison Foster, appointed Stephen Lorenz to fill both positions left vacant by Oakes' removal. Lorenz was previously a captain with the district's police force, which he had joined as a lieutenant in August 2019.
Asked about why Oakes was removed, district spokesperson Kelsey Whealy provided no additional information beyond a news release, which did not state a reason.
School Board Chairwoman Bridget Ziegler said Monday that information regarding Oakes was brought to Foster, prompting an investigation that uncovered concerns. She declined to provide more detail, citing privacy in personnel matters.
The Herald-Tribune filed records requests for Oakes' personnel file and correspondence from the interim superintendent regarding the former chief of police, which have not yet been returned.
"We have to raise our standards for a code of conduct for staff and students, and raise our standards and expectation for academic excellence, which is our mission," Ziegler said.
Tom Edwards, often the dissenting voice on the School Board, echoed Ziegler's emphasis on confidentiality. He did, however, question whether the district should implement its updated visitor policy, which welcomed parents to morning arrival in schools, amid a security leadership change.
"The fact that we're down the chief of police, or chief of security, this is not the time to take on any additional risk," Edwards said.
Oakes succeeded Tim Enos, who, after leaving the police department ran for a seat on the School Board and won last August.
Lorenz is the fourth person to serve as chief since the school district police agency's inception in 2018.
First chief:Former Sarasota County Schools Police Chief Paul Grohowski files complaint against district
The district's news release said Lorenz holds a teaching certificate in adult education from St. Petersburg College and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree through the college. He has a background as a U.S. Air Force security policeman and worked for the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office and the North Port Police Department.
Interim administrator: School Board appoints Allison Foster as interim superintendent, sets new meeting times
In mid-February, Foster named Brad Porinchak as a "Principal on Assignment" to focus on unspecified essential initiatives she assigned. Linda Daniels was named to replace him at Cranberry Elementary for the rest of this school year.
During the School Board meeting in which Foster was named interim superintendent, board member Tom Edwards had suggested the board put restrictions on the interim administrator, requiring some personnel changes to be subject to their approval. He likened his suggestion to not allowing a substitute teacher to rewrite lesson plans.
But the board majority disagreed, with Robyn Marinelli saying whoever she voted to appoint as interim would have her full confidence to make the best decisions for students in the district.
Follow Herald-Tribune Education Reporter Steven Walker on Twitter at @swalker_7. He can be reached at sbwalker@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota Schools police chief removed over unspecified concerns
