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That letter says the action is “pending the outcome of an investigation … in reference to allegations of inappropriate conduct.”
At the time, Superintendent Elizabeth Lolli said she would not comment on the details of personnel matters, adding only that there would be a staffing shift at Thurgood Marshall, and that it might only be temporary.
But the DPS school board agendas for January listed Bettis’ permanent resignation as Thurgood assistant principal, effective Dec. 17. The board approved that resignation without comment at its Tuesday meeting.
Again Thursday, Lolli declined to discuss the nature of Bettis’ “inappropriate conduct” and whether it involved students or finances or some other issue.
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Bettis, 37, could not be reached for comment. Local online court records show no active cases involving Bettis.
The Dayton Daily News wrote in 2018 about school districts allowing employees accused of wrongdoing to quietly resign rather than face a full investigation. An Ohio School Boards Association official said at the time that he “believes that’s happening less.”
The Dayton Daily News this week filed a public records request for any DPS documents related to the district’s investigation into Betts. Those documents have not yet been released.
The Dayton Daily News requested Bettis’ DPS personnel file on Dec. 18, and district officials said multiple times that it was being worked on. DPS finally provided the personnel file at 6 p.m. Jan. 21 – 34 days after it was requested and about 10 minutes after the board approved Bettis’ resignation.
The file contains a July 24, 2018, letter saying an Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations check revealed “no convictions on file with this office” for Bettis. An Aug. 6, 2018, internal DPS note said Bettis’ standard FBI review was “being mailed” but that Bettis’ “badge can be issued.”
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Two weeks later, the Ohio Attorney General’s office sent a “criminal history record check” letter to DPS. After the cover sheet saying a check had been run on Bettis, the next six pages are completely redacted, or blacked out.
DPS officials cited an exemption in Ohio law allowing for redaction of “criminal background and other law enforcement information from the LEADS database.”
It is unclear what legal issue Bettis faced, or whether it was tied to him being placed on leave 16 months later.
Bettis worked that entire 2018-19 school year at Thurgood Marshall, but the personnel file contains no performance evaluation for that year, his first in the school district.
The personnel file also includes a Dec. 17, 2019, resignation letter from Bettis in which he thanks Lolli for the opportunity, says he learned a great deal and enjoyed the chance to grow as an administrator, and asks that Lolli share “anything I can do to help during this transition.”
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Bettis’ DPS Employee Information Form dated Dec. 19 lists him as not eligible for rehire. In the comments, the only reason listed for that ineligibility is “not a fit for DPS.”
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