YOUNGSTOWN — The Youngstown Police Department has asked the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation to handle a probe into the apparent disappearance of funds from East High School in the Youngstown City School District.

In question is funding for a senior class trip.

The Vindicator obtained a copy of the letter to BCI through a public records request.

Steve Irwin, press secretary for BCI, was asked about the status of the investigation, and he said it is “active and ongoing.” He confirmed that BCI was asked to investigate the matter by Youngstown police.

Stacy Quinones, communications and public relations director for Youngstown schools, stated: “As this story involves law enforcement and an investigation, we have no additional comment on this matter at this time.”

CLASS TRIP MONEY

East High head Principal Debra Campbell on May 17 reported to law enforcement that a teacher, who is a senior class adviser, asked her March 27 about the progress of a request for $19,244 given to the senior class by the Youngstown Foundation during the 2019-20 school year, according to a Youngstown police report.

The $19,244 was going to be used for a student trip.

But Campbell informed the teacher that the donation was for $11,000, not $19,244.

And, the head principal said, the requisition for the $19,244 had Campbell’s signature stamp — but not her real signature, as she was not in the building when the requisition was generated.

On March 31, Campbell and two assistant principals met with school district Treasurer Bryan Schiraldi and assistant treasurer Sandy Huddleson and determined that no account was dedicated to the senior class, but instead to a general student activities fund, and most expenditures were deducted from this account.

On April 5, Campbell met with the three senior class advisers and discussed the finances of the trip, including the information that $8,865 was refunded to 28 students in varying amounts, but there was no record of any money being deposited for the trip, the report states.

INSIDE THE SAFE

One of the advisers named another person who had records of the money that was deposited. Campbell met with that person April 17 and 18 to ask about $8,865 collected in 2020 for the senior class trip and found that no deposit was made. That person then said he or she may have given the money to another top school official, “and it may be in the safe.”

On April 21, an assistant principal and another school official were able to open the safe, but only $1,248 in cash was found, and none of it was from deposits made for the 2020 senior trip, the report stated.

The report does not contain any further details.

On June 8, Lt. Mohammad Awad, officer in charge of the Youngstown Police detective division, wrote a letter to a special agent with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation formally asking that BCI carry out an investigation of a “theft at East High School” that the police department and BCI had “previously discussed.”