LYNDON, Kan. – Twelve days after USD 421 Superintendent Brad Marcotte was arrested at Lyndon High School on charges of endangering a child and interference with a law enforcement officer, the USD 421 Board of Education has publicly revealed the allegations against him.
Marcotte was booked into the Osage County Jail on the charges the afternoon of Oct. 18, 2024, after being arrested by Lyndon Police Chief David Forkenbrock. Marcotte was released that evening on $2,500 bond. As of Thursday of this week, no formal charges have been filed in Lyndon Municipal Court in connection with Marcotte’s arrest.
Following the arrest, Forkenbrock released no information publicly about evidence that supported the charges. The school board also released no information about its decision to place Marcotte on administrative leave without pay at an emergency closed door meeting on the evening of the arrest. Since that evening, during three special meetings over the last week and a half, the board has signed a resolution stating it intends to terminate Marcotte’s contract, interviewed potential interim superintendent candidate Paul Dorathy, scheduled an hour-long meet and greet session to introduce Dorathy to the USD 421 community, and extended an offer of contract to Dorathy to serve as USD 421’s interim superintendent.
After a two-hour meeting of executive sessions Sunday, Oct. 20, on a motion from board president Bryant Derley, the board approved a resolution of intent to terminate a superintendent’s contract. Osage County News requested access to the resolution last week and the document was released Wednesday, Oct. 30.
The resolution states it is the intent of the board to terminate Marcotte’s contract, and gives authorization to USD 421 Board Clerk Teresa Fitch to notify Marcotte of the board’s intent. The resolution also states the allegations against Marcotte and the “reasons for the board’s intent to terminate said contract:
“On or about October 18, 2024, Mr. Marcotte drove a school bus with students on it after consuming alcohol that he was in possession of on school property in violation of USD 421 Board Policy GAOA-R. Based on these actions, he was arrested for child endangerment and interference with a law enforcement officer. These actions are a violation of Section 8 of Lyndon U.S.D. #421 Superintendent Contract dated October 31, 2023, by engaging in acts ‘which materially affects his ability or effectiveness to discharge his duties as Superintendent including but not limited to …(c) intemperance,… (f) neglect of duty, (g) general neglect of the business of the district, (h) unprofessional conduct.’”
The resolution gives Marcotte notice that he has 15 days to file a request for a hearing before the board regarding their actions. The resolution was signed by all current board members, Derley, Jennifer Hamlet, Melissa Herdman, Megan Kilgore, Jay Biggs, and Elizabeth Young.
A standard offense report filed by Forkenbrock lists two misdemeanor charges in the case, endangering a child and interference with a law enforcement officer. On the form, both charges have a box checked next to “Offender suspected of using alcohol.” The report lists the high school’s address as the location of the alleged offenses.
The report lists only one victim, whose name and age was redacted by Forkenbrock. The reporting party is listed as Osage County Sheriff Deputy Josh Shepard, who also serves as school resource officer at Lyndon schools.
During the Oct. 18 special board meeting, Shepard had been called into one of the executive sessions that included Kansas Association of School Boards attorney Lori Kopp. After that executive session, the board voted to put Marcotte on administrative leave without pay, and prohibit him from school property indefinitely. At that special meeting, besides the board, only Fitch and Lyndon principals Tanner Smith and Allison Smith were in attendance.
At a special meeting Oct. 24, the board interviewed Dorathy, who had retired in July 2022 as superintendent of USD 348, Baldwin City. Afterward, the board voted to move to “the second phase with potential interim superintendent candidate, Paul Dorathy, to meet staff and community members.” At the end of that meeting, Derley announced a meet and greet for Dorathy would be 3:30-4:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 28.
At a special meeting held Tuesday, Oct. 29, the board held a short executive session, after which Derley made a motion to offer a contract to Dorathy as interim superintendent according to conditions the board discussed in executive session. The board approved the motion unanimously.
Currently the USD 421 Board of Education is short one member, following the resignation of Lori Sturdy sometime before the board’s regular meeting held Oct. 16. The board voted at that meeting to publish a notice of vacancy of the seat and seek letters of interest from patrons who live in the area represented by Position 1B. The board is to review those letters at the regular board meeting to be held at 6 p.m. Nov. 13, at the Lyndon Community Center, 205 W. 10th St., Lyndon.
