Mountain Home, Idaho – The Richard McKenna charter schools are taking decisive steps after an internal investigation revealed that an employee used a personal connection to enroll a student ahead of others on the lottery waitlist. The breach prompted the school’s principal, Jessie Ward, to be placed on leave while the district implements new oversight measures.
Investigation finds personal relationship influenced enrollment
Documents obtained by Idaho EdNews show that a supervising employee directed a subordinate to move a friend’s child from the lottery list into an open seat, even though two other applicants were next in line. The employee cited a “strong personal relationship” with the family as the reason for the deviation.
Superintendent Jon Wood confirmed that the employee also instructed staff to skip two additional students who were at the top of the list, describing them as “less than ideal” based on subjective judgments about the families. The superintendent called the practice a violation of the charter’s enrollment lottery, which is designed to ensure equitable access for all families.
Administrative response and corrective plan
Wood reported the incident to the Idaho Public Charter Commission on Aug. 14 and submitted a corrective action plan on Sept. 3. Commission Executive Director Rachel Burk said the plan “appropriately addresses” the concerns and that the commission will continue to monitor compliance.
The plan adds multiple layers of oversight: enrollment duties will be divided among several staff members, a monthly review of lottery logs will be instituted, and all employees will be required to sign a written acknowledgment of the lottery procedures. The district also noted that system logs from PowerSchool SchoolChoice, which tracks every change, were not routinely reviewed until the breach was discovered during an unrelated audit.
Principal placed on leave, disciplinary proceedings begin
Superintendent Wood confirmed that principal Jessie Ward has been placed on leave while the investigation continues. Ward, who began at the school last year, said she received “very little to no guidance” on lottery procedures and has asked the commission for clarification.
Wood declined to comment on the employment status of the staff members directly involved but said disciplinary proceedings have begun and that the issue appears isolated rather than systemic.
Community impact and next steps
Richard McKenna serves Mountain Home with Montessori programs for K‑6, a junior high campus, a traditional high school, and the state’s oldest virtual high school. The district emphasized that the lottery process is a cornerstone of charter school fairness and expressed deep embarrassment over the incident.
“We take the sanctity of the lottery process seriously, as it is designed to ensure equitable access for all students, and we are committed to restoring trust with our community,” Wood said.
Parents and community members can expect more transparent communication moving forward, with the central office reviewing enrollment actions at least monthly and staff receiving documented training on lottery compliance.
What parents should know
Families with children on the waitlist should monitor communications from the school for any updates on seat availability. The district has re‑aligned enrollment to reflect the original lottery results and will honor any pending offers that were improperly skipped.
For further information, parents may contact the Richard McKenna administration or the Idaho Public Charter Commission.
Original reporting: Idaho Education News — read the source article.
