Newburgh Free Academy North Campus ▲

CITY OF NEWBURGH - For the second time since the start of the school year, investigators have executed search warrants in the Newburgh school district, Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler confirmed Monday.

Newburgh Board of Education members were notified that the district attorney's office served the district a search warrant to submit records pertaining to the APEX program, including, but not limited to, regular board communications referred to as "weeklys," according to a document verified by the Times Herald-Record.

Hoovler confirmed his office served the search warrant on Thursday at Newburgh Free Academy's North Campus and at the district administration offices.

"Yes, we were there with a search warrant," Hoovler said.

APEX is a nationally-utilized digital curriculum that aids students in credit recovery. The district has been using the APEX program for three years. The number of students enrolled in the program varies based on students' academic performance for each quarter.

Hoovler said the district has been cooperative.

"We're complying and working with the DA's office," Newburgh Superintendent Roberto Padilla said Monday afternoon.

Padilla said the weeklys are confidential documents regularly sent to board members that give updates and discusses various issues in the district.

Hoover would only characterize the evidence sought by the warrants as "computer records."

He said the warrants executed on Thursday are separate from search warrants executed in October, which sought records related to academics, athletic participation and attendance.

In October, Newburgh School Board lawyer David Shaw advised the board that emails were among the documents covered by that warrant.

lbellamy@th-record.com