Rocori Superintendent Brad Kelvington will resign at end of school year

Rocori Superintendent Brad Kelvington will resign from his position at the end of the school year.

The school board for Rocori — a central Minnesota school district encompassing the cities of Rockville, Cold Spring and Richmond — approved his resignation Monday.

Kelvington was not at the meeting, but in an e-mail to the Star Tribune he said he is pursuing other leadership opportunities.

Board Chair Jennifer Bohnsack announced the resignation in an e-mail to families before the meeting, stating the district wishes Kelvington the best in his endeavors.

"The school district is now entering a period of transition, and while transitions can present challenges, we must all remain mindful that with challenges come opportunities," Bohnsack said in the e-mailed letter. "In the near future, the school board will be discussing how to best commence a search for a new superintendent for the 2022-2023 school year."

Kelvington was hired as superintendent in 2018 following the resignation of former Superintendent Scott Staska, who was arrested and later sentenced for several instances of indecent exposure in the St. Cloud area.

Before his tenure at Rocori, Kelvington served as superintendent in Aitkin school district for one year and as principal of Foley Intermediate School for 11 years. During his time in Foley, he was named middle school principal of the year.

Also at the meeting, Bohnsack updated the board on an independent investigation into allegations of racism in the district. The board ordered the investigation in May after Cold Spring resident Andrea Robinson told the board about harassment her children, who are Black, had experienced in the district.

In January, Robinson filed a lawsuit in federal court describing the district's "deliberate indifference and failure to respond to multiple acts of racial harassment and discrimination" directed at her children by students and staff.

Bohnsack said several students, parents, district employees and administrators, and community members were interviewed as part of the investigation.

"An investigation report has been provided to the school board for review and consideration of next steps. The board is satisfied that the investigation was thorough, detailed and considered all relevant information that the investigator was able to obtain," Bohnsack said. "We know that some community members may be eager to hear more about the substance of the investigation. However ... due to that pending lawsuit, the information contained in the investigation report remains classified as nonpublic."

Even after the lawsuit concludes, Bohnsack said, much of the report will be classified as private personnel data on employees or educational data on students or parents.

"We reiterate that Rocori schools take the prevention of discrimination and harassment seriously," Bohnsack said. "We are grateful for our community members' patience, understanding and support, both throughout this investigation and as we continue to move forward."