The Bremerton School District has fired superintendent James Crawford just days before the start of the school year.

The district said in a brief statement the decision followed a third-party investigation into Crawford’s network usage that found he had allegedly accessed board members’ emails without their consent and the completion of a workplace environment report that “indicated a reported pattern of verbal intimidation, fear, hostility, extreme stress and health impacts under Dr. Crawford’s leadership.”

The findings were released less than an hour after the school board reached its decision in front of a packed district headquarters Aug. 29. The meeting came two days after the board held an executive session with legal counsel.

Several members of that crowd loudly voiced their approval of Crawford and his accomplishments in his short time with the district.

Bremerton councilwoman Anna Mockler criticized the board’s approach to the investigation, saying the process left the public without critical information for weeks. “I do not understand what could possibly be going on, and this school board, I must say, has not been forthcoming with that information,” she said. “This is a matter of trust and transparency.”

All directors besides Jonee Dubos responded to comments, collectively indicating the decision had not come lightly. Director Karen Bolton, among others, shared her disappointment in both the findings against Crawford and the public’s reaction throughout the investigative proceedings.

“I’m ashamed at some of you people, the way you’re acting,” she yelled. “I am so proud of every single one of us (on this board) because we came together, we had discussions and made sure that we dotted our I’s and crossed our T’s because we can’t make a mistake on this.”

Board president Alyson Rotter added: “This is never, ever something I ever imagined that I would be a part of. We were delighted with the direction and the new beginning and the excitement around having a new superintendent…”

Crawford’s response

Crawford released a statement that was partially read by a public commenter and later provided in full to Kitsap Daily News. Stating he can no longer stay silent and allow what he called “unfounded allegations” to continue, he indicated a heightened interest in the cybersecurity of the district. He said he has never accessed the board’s emails “without cause,” and he instead alleges discovering several “vulnerabilities and breaches” in the district’s system and brought these to the attention of Rotter.

He also described the evaluation of his professional conduct as a “pretend investigation,” alleging the board was attacking his character rather than his conduct and his accomplishments in his first year as superintendent.

“These investigations represent a complete neglect of our primary responsibility: ensuring the safety, privacy and integrity of our students’ data. Instead, the board president has shifted focus to personal feelings about the superintendent, which is an embarrassment to our community.”

The process

Crawford was placed on administrative leave July 4 after the board met in a series of executive sessions that started in June. The board hired the law firm Haggard & Ganson LLP June 20 to begin an investigation of Crawford.

A July 9 report written by Jeffrey Ganson concluded Crawford had allegedly “accessed and viewed the contents of Rotter’s and all other board members’ emails.” Access logs reportedly indicate “55 unique instances” from January to June in which Crawford’s account was used to view emails sent to or from Rotter’s account.

“Crawford did not seek the board’s authorization to seek that credential or the power it would give him to view their emails,” Ganson wrote. “And he did in fact read their private information, which he surely knew was intended to be confidential between the board members and himself.”

The report indicates the motivation to read the emails came after Crawford’s request for a one-year extension to his contract in December was denied. Shortly after, Ganson writes, the superintendent had a district employee provide him with access to the board members’ emails through the employee’s email and later his own. The employee “had no authority to deny Crawford’s directive to grant that credential,” the report says.

Ganson also described the credibility of Crawford as “very low,” presenting instances in which the superintendent allegedly lied about his accessing the emails among other findings and demonstrated evasiveness during the investigation.

The second report written by Strategic Advisors PLLC attorney Noel Treat dove into Crawford’s workplace conduct. The Aug. 27 report, comprised of 15 interviews with current and former district employees, identifies themes of “inappropriate expressions of anger,” dishonesty, issues with work and life boundaries and self-awareness, among other issues. “They said he would, at times, yell, turn red with anger, appear hostile and say demeaning things to staff,” Treat wrote.

Employees allegedly would work under “constant stress and uncertainty” and “many said they feared superintendent Crawford.” Treat also wrote the behavior crossed into personal life. Crawford allegedly sent “frequent and voluminous texts and calls” in early mornings or late nights, weekends, holidays and during vacation or medical leave.

What’s next

Board members will begin the search for a new superintendent. Donna Dearin-Colosky, who served as the interim superintendent for 2022-23, was rehired to the position Aug. 15 and will serve through 2024-25.

The district will also be responsible for another year of payments to Crawford, as his contract includes a stipulation for unilateral termination. It states the board will pay the superintendent severance equal to 12 months of salary or the remaining salary under contract, whichever is less.