Delmar

Bethlehem High School Principal Scott Landry said Monday the district has placed him on administrative leave in retaliation for information he uncovered years earlier regarding grading practices and finances at the Lab School, a rigorous program within the high school.

District officials confirmed Monday that Landry was placed on leave, but said it was not as a result of disciplinary action by the district.

"That said, Mr. Landry was not present at the high school today and it is unknown when he might return," said district spokeswoman JoEllen Gardner in an email.

The Board of Education has appointed middle school Principal Michael Klugman to serve as interim principal until June 30. Mark Warford, the assistant principal at the middle school, will fill in for Klugman and Hall Principal Ken Rizzo will fill in as assistant principal.

Landry has been principal for four years and with the district for 14 years. He said he was contacted Monday morning and informed he was being placed on indefinite leave related to an incident in which he accepted pay to tutor four people on writing resumes and interviewing for jobs in the education field. He said he returned the money, which amounted to $40 a person, after learning the district was uncomfortable with the situation.

"The people I've talked to about it don't think it was illegal or even unethical," he said. "But what my attorneys said was they just want to get rid of me and they're trying to find any way to do it."

Landry said that's because he uncovered "things that weren't lining up" several years ago when the district asked him to investigate the Lab School — a small, rigorous "school within a school" program first launched in 1992 to experiment with new ways of teaching and learning.

Students are selected for the high school program in a lottery open to all eighth-graders in the district. The school gives students hands-on education with field trips that take them across the country, like a trip to Key West to dissect sharks. It's also more rigorous; students must earn an 80 — not a 65 — in order to pass a class.

Landry said his investigation of the school uncovered inconsistencies in grading practices and financial matters. He said he presented the findings to then-Assistant Superintendent Jody Monroe (now interim superintendent), Chief Business and Financial Officer Judith Kehoe and the Board of Education.

"Nothing was ever done, and these were some pretty egregious things," Landry said. "I knew I'd be a target because the people who are impacted by this are pretty powerful people in the district ... what I have will rock Bethlehem, all its rankings, past alum — in terms of the grades they got into school with aren't necessarily the grades that should have been on those transcripts."

District officials said Monday they were surprised by Landry's comments and disagree with his allegations.

The Bethlehem Central School District consistently earns high rankings in the region, state and nation for its performance on state assessments, graduation rates and college preparedness.

Lab School alumni have been accepted into selective schools like Cornell, Wheaton College and the Rhode Island School of Design, according to a 2013 Times Union feature on the school.

Monroe, who will be promoted from interim to permanent superintendent May 18, addressed the leadership change in a letter to parents Monday.

"Please be assured that my administrative team and I are working closely with faculty and staff to minimize any disruption to our educational programs at the high school and middle school," she wrote. "I am confident that with their leadership and your continued support, students at BCMS and BCHS will not be unduly impacted by these changes as they look to final weeks of the school year which are marked with celebration and milestones for so many of them."

bbump@timesunion.com • 518-454-5387 • @bethanybump