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Montrose County School District superintendent denies allegations, cites process concern

The Montrose School Board of Education voted 4-3 to place Superintendent Dr. Carrie Stephenson on paid, non-punitive, non-disciplinary leave. This decision, effective Wednesday, follows a heated April discussion and comes amid allegations of intimidation involving Stephenson and the Olathe Elementary principal, pending a third-party investigation.The leave is a direct result of an ongoing third-party investigation into the intimidation allegations. Board members of the Montrose County Board of Education stated their commitment to stability and transparency following the decision. Dr. Jessica Kalb has been appointed as acting superintendent for the district.Stephenson has strongly denied the accusations, calling them baseless.In the meeting, Stephenson asserted her right to have the discussion in open session, stating she had nothing to hide and that the community deserved to know the allegations and how the process unfolded. Stephenson said she did not intimidate or threaten employees.Stephenson also expressed concern about the process, noting that Montrose County School District Board President Neisha Balleck did not ask for her account of the meeting where the alleged events occurred. Stephenson received notice of a special meeting 11 days after the staff meeting in question and was given two-and-a-half hours to respond before suspension was considered.The board took control of the investigation without Stephenson's involvement. She raised concerns about unfair treatment, requested clarity on the board's decisions and urged against any suspension based on unverified claims.During her remarks, Stephenson received a standing ovation from attendees.The board stated its commitment to maintaining stability and transparency within the school district. When asked for comment on the matter, board staff did not respond.All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by WesternSlopeNow.com. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat information into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by WesternSlopeNow.com staff before being published.

Montrose County, CO · 06-08