A teacher at Camelot Elementary School has been placed on paid administrative leave by the Lewiston School Board.

Superintendent Lance Hansen said the school board came out of executive session Friday to ratify the administration’s action to place first-grade teacher Sheila Frei on leave for an undetermined amount of time. The nature of Frei’s administrative leave is confidential.

According to the district’s policy, an employee can be placed on a leave of absence when the person has or allegedly has violated the Idaho Code of Ethics, created a threat to the safety and well-being of a student or another employee, violated district policy or when leave is necessary to investigate alleged misconduct by the employee.

The school board has to ratify the superintendent’s decision to place someone on leave, but the superintendent can take initial action to place them on leave. Hansen said that this allows the superintendent to respond without having to call a school board meeting, but still allows the board to approve or reject the decision.

According to district policy, the leave status means that the employee doesn’t perform customary duties. While the employee is on leave there is an investigation by the school district or sometimes by another agency such as local police, the state or the county. The leave of absence stays in place until the conditions that caused the leave of absence are resolved, which could be various outcomes including a return to employment or termination, depending on the conclusion of the investigation. Those actions would be taken by the school board, but district policy also states that administrators, such as the superintendent, can recommend the discharge of a certified employee, such as a teacher.