TOWN AND COUNTRY, Mo. — The superintendent of the largest school district in the St. Louis area was abruptly placed on administrative leave Friday afternoon, according to an internal memo.
The Special School District of St. Louis County, which serves nearly 25,000 students, cited an "internal personnel matter" as the reason for Dr. Elizabeth Keenan's leave.
Jennifer Henry, the district's executive director of communications, confirmed the memo was sent to staff on Friday. She said she could not share any additional "confidential personnel information."
Keenan joined the district in July 2019 after less than two years as the head of the special education department for the Chicago Public Schools. A report in the Chicago Sun-Times said her exit "caught advocates off guard."
Soon after Keenan was named to the post, the Illinois State Board of Education began investigating changes to the special education program it believed were illegal and “driven by budgetary concerns," the newspaper reported.
A subcommittee of the Special School District board met Friday afternoon to update several policies before the full board met in a special closed session to discuss the "hiring, firing, disciplining or promoting (of) any employee of the district" and "personnel records, performance ratings and records pertaining to employees," according to online agendas.
According to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Keenan made $264,000 during the 2022-23 school year.
No phone listing could be found for Keenan through a public records search. A message sent to her through LinkedIn was not immediately returned.
Dr. Michael Maclin, the district's executive director of diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility was named acting superintendent. He joined the district in 2020 after stints as a principal in the Parkway School District and the School District of University City.
Maclin earned a doctorate in leadership in teaching and learning, a master's degree in educational administration, a master's degree in guidance and counseling, and a bachelor's degree in communications from Missouri Baptist University.
"Dr. Maclin has been approved by the board and has agreed to serve as the acting superintendent during this time. The district has the utmost confidence in Dr. Maclin to lead during this time and ensure no disruption to District business or student care and education," Henry said.
In the memo, district employees were told to "refrain from gossip or speculation regarding a confidential personnel matter such as this one."
"Such behavior detracts from one’s job duties and from the care and education of students, and should thus be avoided," the memo said.
The memo also reminded district employees about anti-retaliation policies and said any employee experiencing retaliation should contact the director of employee relations.
The Special School District was formed in 1957 after St. Louis County voters overwhelmingly approved a referendum establishing a countywide local school district to support the educational needs of children with disabilities.