A longtime superintendent of an East Bay school district was placed on administrative leave after claims surfaced he made unwanted advances toward a female district official.
San Leandro Unified School District Superintendent Mike McLaughlin is now under investigation by the district, which is probing the allegations.
Sources told NBC Bay Area that an alleged incident occurred at an outing with McLaughlin and his directors that involved alcohol. They said at one point he physically touched a female manager.
The district hired an independent investigator after multiple employees spoke out about the incident. The district board said if the allegations are true, they violated board policies and rules of conduct.
McLaughlin did not respond to multiple attempts by NBC Bay Area to reach him.
According to the district’s website, McLaughlin oversees four assistant superintendents. Each of the assistant superintendents is in charge of numerous directors and assistant directors, with four of them holding the title of manager.
McLaughlin has been superintendent since 2013, and before that served as superintendent of three other school districts. He received a Doctorate of Education from the University of Southern California.
His base pay is $390,352, and combined with other pay and benefits, his compensation totals $523,128, NBC Bay Area reported.
The school district said in a statement that “the action is the immediate result of allegations made by district employees regarding inappropriate conduct in violation of Board policies and the district’s rules of conduct.”
“The district has also immediately initiated an independent investigation into the allegations while the superintendent is on administrative leave.”
More details can’t be provided, the district said, until the investigation is complete.
Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services Donal Patel will temporarily take McLaughlin’s place as acting superintendent.
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