Eastpointe school board approves new administrative hires

EASTPOINTE — Although school is out for summer vacation, the Eastpointe Community Schools Board of Education has been busy.

At the June 26 Board of Education meeting, the school board approved the hires of three new administrative positions.

With a 7-0 vote, Russell Ball was approved to become the new K-12 athletics and activities director.

“Russell has completed one year with us here in Eastpointe Community Schools and, in that time, stepped up in his leadership of physical education at Eastpointe Middle School, stepped up and took on some coaching roles for us,” Superintendent Christina Gibson said. “I would be remiss if I didn’t say that Russell Ball blew away the field in the interview process and was far and away the best candidate for this opportunity.”

Staff member Lisa Petrella is now the director of curriculum and instruction, after the board voted 7-0 to approve the recommendation.

With a 6-1 vote, the school board approved Brandy Croce as director of student support services. Trustee Mary Hall-Rayford voted no on the motion and opened discussion with a question.

“If a person is not certified to teach special ed, how do we justify them being placed as a director over those who do?” Hall-Rayford asked.

According to Gibson, there are certain titles within the Michigan Department of Education ranks that require certain certifications.

“The director of student support services title oversees the entire body of the work,” Gibson said before asking outgoing Executive Director of Student Support Services Lori Rush to add her input.

“Included in student support services is more than special education. That office supervises the work of all the medical situations with students, making sure that they have medical plans,” Rush said. “We support the social-emotional needs of students with our at-risk social workers and our special ed social workers. There’s a lot more than just special education in that department. It’s also the supervision of our process for Section 504.”

Section 504 refers to federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in programs or activities that receive federal money.

“This candidate the team has chosen has worked in our office for a full year,” Rush said. “We have done extensive training to make sure that she has a really solid foundation. She has a real strong knowledge of who to go to, to help support those questions that she will have.”

Before the vote, President Jon Gruenberg asked, “There is no legal requirement that they have to be a certified special education teacher in order to hold that position?”

“There is not,” Rush said.

At the meeting, Gibson spent a few minutes acknowledging Rush, who is leaving the district to take a part-time position with the Macomb Intermediate School District.

“Lori began her career here eight and a half years ago and walked into a myriad of special education state complaints, helped to resolve all of those as well as develop manuals, processes, procedures so our department is in amazing shape,” Gibson said. “I’d like to take this opportunity to humbly thank Lori Rush for her service here.”