Fairview High School principal Chris Gambrill is seen in this 2014 Times file photo.

The county schools’ internal investigation into Fairview High School principal Dr. Chris Gambrill is complete, and the findings have been sent to the state. Gambrill was placed on paid administrative leave in November after issues were allegedly discovered during an audit at the school.

School officials say the investigation was finalized earlier this week, and the school board attorney hass provided the findings to the State Board of Education. Superintendent Dr. Craig Ross said the school board will now await a recommendation from the state on how to proceed.

Ross noted the incident was first reported to the state when it was discovered, which is required by law. The superintendent noted it is mandatory to report any concern related to the Alabama Code of Ethics to the state.

“We reported it verbally when the incident occurred, and I spoke with the State Department of Education, as well as the State Department of Education’s attorney James Ward. There are certain things that we are mandatory reporters, and I legally have an obligation to report. Things that can’t be brushed under the rug,” Ross said. “Under the recommendation of the school board attorney, Dr. Gambrill was placed on paid administrative leave so he could receive a fair investigation into the concerns. All information will be reviewed at the state level and the state will make a recommendation to the board. Then the board will make a decision on what they need to do.”

Ross said he is still not comfortable speculating on a potential time table to resolve the issue, since it depends on how quickly the state is able to offer a recommendation.

Many members of the Fairview community have rallied around Gambrill in the months since he was placed on leave. A petition in support of Gambrill passed 1,500 signatures, and more than 150 community members — most in support of the embattled principal — showed up at a recent Cullman County Board of Education meeting, even though Gambrill wasn’t actually on the official agenda.

At the impromptu rally, several of Gambrill’s family members claimed the principal was told it revolved around “financial procedures,” “job performance” and “ethics.”

Gambrill’s attorney Nathan Brock released a statement saying he and his client are disappointed about the length of the investigation and miscommunication about the process and timeline.

“Frankly, the entire process becomes less and less clear with each passing day. At the December 11 Cullman County School Board Meeting, it was stated multiple times that the matter had been completely turned over to the Alabama State Department of Education,” he said in a prepared statement. “However, counsel for the Cullman County School Board has said that instead of submitting information to the ASDE, the superintendent asked for an extension of time to do so. I understand, as confirmed by the ASDE, that, as of this week, Dr. Ross still has not turned over any information to ASDE.”

Ross confirmed an extension was requested to allow additional time to investigate the situation, which he says became necessary when additional information came to light, but the report has now been submitted to the state.

“It is true that a request for an extension was initiated per the Cullman County School Board attorney, Mr. Donald Sweeney, due to further investigation being deemed necessary as new developments within this case surfaced,” Ross said. “At this time, case information has indeed been submitted to the Alabama State Department of Education by Mr. Sweeney’s office and is currently under their review. It is not unusual for cases such as this to take a little time to resolve as many individuals are involved in determining the best course of action.  I have been advised to keep Dr. Gambrill on administrative leave until further notice and have confidence that the fine staff at Fairview High will continue to do good works in his absence.”

Brock also expressed concern about the effect the extended leave has had on the students and faculty at Fairview.

“Chris Gambrill became an educator because he cares about and has a passion for working with the students of this county,” he said. “Chris wants nothing more than to return to work for the students of Fairview High School. All of us can appreciate that the extended absence of a principal from his school is not in the best interest of the students, faculty or community.”

Ross praised the work of the staff at Fairview High that has filled in during Gambrill’s absence, noting they have done an excellent job of keeping the administration moving forward.

“The faculty and staff of Fairview High along with the six administrators on Fairview’s campus have done an outstanding job of working together to maintain an effective, safe, and enriched learning environment for the students of Fairview during Dr. Gambrill’s absence,” he said.

* Trent Moore can be reached by e-mail at trentm@cullmantimes.com, or by telephone at 734-2131, ext. 134.