School Board Defends Handling of Sex Abuse Case | Charlottesville News

Albemarle School Board Chair Dr. Rebecca Berlin fires back at accusations of mishandling a sexual misconduct case involving former staffer Michael Swiney, denying failures in mandated reporting or lack of cooperation. In a letter to Commonwealth’s Attorney Jim Hingeley, Berlin demands a meeting with acting superintendent Dr. Chandra Hayes to establish a clear, unified process for handling such allegations — ensuring no child slips through the cracks. The dispute flared after a deputy chief questioned the credibility of a Title IX report that found Swiney “not responsible” for Title IX violations, and suggested the school division was uncooperative. Berlin counters that the division followed protocol, reporting to police within 24 hours and updating policies to notify both agencies. She insists staff fully complies with legal requests, calling inflammatory remarks “unfortunate” and noting the accuser reportedly hadn’t even reviewed the report. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/ef1212aa7e05c34b