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Foote Case Goes to State Board for Decision

July 26th, 2019 by WCBC Radio

For close to a year now, embattled Allegany County Board of Education member Wayne Foote has maintained his innocence amid  accusations of misconduct in office and willful neglect of duty. Following two days of hearings before an administrative law judge- the issue now goes back to the state board for a decision. Reports that accusations had been made against Foote first surfaced in news reports last September on WCBC Radio.  Following those reports:  Foote was questioned about the allegations during a candidates forum; issued a letters of censure from his fellow board members; and ultimately was subject of a late December official resolution by the board asking the state to remove him from office.  Judge Michael Wallace, who presided over the hearing Tuesday and Wednesday-  is expected to submit a written opinion to the state board of education within the next few weeks. When the board meets for it’s next public session  in late August- the board could simply choose to ignore the opinion as there is no requirement that it consider the judge’s decision in making a final determination on Foote’s fate. If the item is on the board’s August 27th agenda- Foote would be given the opportunity to plead his case- although it’s notable that he did not take the stand or make a single comment during the just completed hearings. If the board were to formally vote to remove Foote from office, he can appeal that ruling to the Circuit Court. The board could allow Foote to retain his seat during that appeals process- but according to a former member of the state board-  it’s more likely the board would  demand that he step down to allow for an interim member to be appointed. If Foote were to appeal and the court rules in his favor- he could return as a sitting board member to complete the remaining three years of the term. Ironically if the court were to support a state board decision that would see Foote removed- there is nothing that would prohibit him from filing to run as a candidate for the board in next year’s election cycle. 

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2 Responses to “Foote Case Goes to State Board for Decision”

  1. July 26, 2019 at 12:11 pm, Ed Dodrill said:

    Great picture.lol.

    Reply

  2. July 27, 2019 at 5:17 pm, j.r. lepley said:

    is that the harem??? asking for a friend

    Reply

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