Petersburg refuses to release superintendent's resignation letter, claiming personnel privilege
PETERSBURG – The city school system is refusing to release the entire text of Dr. Tamara Sterling’s resignation letter, saying it contains information that would divulge “identifiable individuals.”
Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Petersburg City Public Schools responded to The Progress-Index's state Freedom of Information Act request for a copy of Sterling’s letter. When the School Board announced Sterling’s resignation March 20, only a portion of the letter was referenced including glowing remarks about her time in Petersburg – a contrast to what had been painted as an acrimonious departure Feb. 23 when Sterling was placed on administrative leave and reportedly escorted from the administrative headquarters.
"I am confident that the dedication and hard work of the staff, faculty, and administration, with governance from the School Board, will continue to propel the district toward even greater heights in the future,” Sterling wrote in the letter as quoted by the School Board statement.
Her last official day is April 30. PCPS chief of staff Dr. John Farrelly, a former North Carolina school superintendent brought to Petersburg last year, will lead daily operations until a replacement is found.
In denying the newspaper’s request, PCPS spokesperson Terrance Dixon cited Virginia Code Section 2.2-3705.1(1) as the basis for not releasing the letter. That code, part of the entire Virginia Freedom of Information Act, states that any "personnel information concerning identifiable individuals” can be withheld from public release unless the person making the request is the subject of the information.
“Please be advised that the requested record is being entirely withheld pursuant to [FOIA] because it contains personnel information concerning identifiable individuals,” Dixon wrote. “One document is being withheld pursuant to this exemption.”
The day after Sterling’s letter was accepted by the board, The Progress-Index issued a formal FOIA request for copies of both Sterling’s resignation letter and her contract with PCPS. FOIA says that “contracts between a public body and its officers or employees” can be released unless the contract addresses an employment dispute between that employee and the public body.
The school system provided a copy of Sterling’s contract.
After The Progress-Index received Dixon’s response, the original request was amended to ask for a copy of the letter with the personnel information redacted. At the time of publication, that request has not been answered.
Earlier this month, the board announced “a joint agreement” between it and Sterling for the superintendent to step down after less than a year and a half on the job. That announcement came almost a month after Sterling was put on administrative leave by the board and reportedly escorted out of the building.
The reason for the leave and the circumstances surrounding her departure were wrapped in secrecy for almost a week after she left. Repeated efforts by The Progress-Index to get confirmation about her job status were finally answered when the school system put out a statement addressing “misinformation” about the events.
Sterling said on her LinkedIn page that she was no longer employed by the school system as of last month, but School Board chair Kenneth Pritchett maintained she had just been put on leave for a personnel matter. The status was further clouded when the Virginia Department of Education put out its own statement at the same time as Pritchett offering to help Petersburg with the “transition” to a new superintendent.
Since posting her updated LinkedIn status, Sterling has not responded to The Progress-Index's requests for comment.
Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist who covers breaking news, government and politics. Reach him at batkinson@progress-index.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @BAtkinson_PI.
This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: School system denies newspaper's request for resignation letter
