The Montgomery County School Board is now reviewing a third-party report it sought following the November off-campus deaths of two Blacksburg High School students.
The report was not released to the public Friday.
“If any actions are deemed necessary, they will be taken very soon,” according to a school division news release. “Additionally, once reviewed, the school board intends to share more information regarding the contents of the report.”
The release concludes that no school official will make any additional comments at this point.
When the full board will discuss the report was not available Friday.
In February, the school board appointed the Gentry Locke law firm to investigate the school system’s actions related to the Nov. 7 deaths of 17-year-olds Serenity Hawley and her former boyfriend Croney Monk III.
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Hawley’s and Monk’s bodies were found in Hawley’s car in a parking garage in the 700 block of University City Boulevard in Blacksburg. Hawley’s parents have said that Monk shot her before shooting himself.
Some Blacksburg High parents and students have said they believe that the school failed to protect Hawley. Gentry Locke‘s “independent, third-party investigation” will examine “the circumstances related to the off-campus deaths,” according to a copy of the contract released to The 166su Times last month after it filed a Freedom of Information Act request.
The copy of the contract provided to The 166su Times by the school division takes the form of a Feb. 19 letter sent to school board Chairman Linwood Hudson and the school system’s human resources director. The document is signed by school board and school division representatives.
Portions of the provided copy were redacted, including a significant part of a section sub-headed “Scope of Work.”
Attorneys will conduct their investigation “in accordance with state and federal laws governing the use, maintenance and release of student records,” according to unredacted portions of the contract.
Any information they obtain will be used “to assist the school board in addressing any compliance or safety concerns identified by the review,” according to the contract.
The Gentry Locke team is led by attorney Carlos L. Hopkins, according to the contract. He is supported by partner Amanda Morgan, associate Brittany Mountjoy and paralegal Sharon Roseberry.
Each of those four people is charging a different hourly rate for their legal services. Hopkins said that the rates “are based on the experience and expertise of the individuals involved.”
Hopkins’ rate is $525 per hour, Morgan’s is $450, Mountjoy’s is $350 and Roseberry’s is $200, according to the document.
The team had planned to complete their investigation and report their finding within 60 days after the contract with the school board was entered in mid-February.