The team of administrators that handled the election "taught the student body at Memorial a terrible lesson in civic responsibility," Hansen said.

Hansen described the incidents as "sordid," "a fiasco" and a series of events that brought "shame and disrespect" upon the teachers and the school district.

"In an attempt to market their fa-brication, these school authorities agreed upon a cover-up story and fed it to the affected parents, the student body, the faculty, the media and the deputy superintendent," Hansen said.

He called a special closed session of the school board Monday night to explain the situation and begin discussing possible disciplinary action against those involved.

"It's real important that people finally know the truth," said Schuldt, who Hansen reported got more than 100 votes while the runner-up received fewer than 70.

"I knew they wouldn't want me to be up there as homecoming queen," she said. "In school you're taught in some ways to be an individual, to be your own person. But when I am myself and my own person, I get discriminated against because of that, and that's depressing."