THE chairman of the Board of Governors at a Co Armagh school is calling for an investigation into its principal, who was suspended more than three years ago, to be concluded as quickly as possible.
Joe Nelson has described as "shocking" the length of time it is taking for the Education Authority (EA) to conduct an inquiry into Dr Peter Cunningham.
Dr Cunningham, who received the MBE for services to education in 2011, was suspended in July 2016 as principal of Ceara School in Lurgan.
However, nominally he is still head of the 140-pupil school which caters for children and young people aged 3-19 with severe learning difficulties.
Such a leadership position could command an average annual salary of around £70,000 but the Education Authority has decline to confirm if Dr Cunningham is still on full pay or what stage the investigation is at.
Dr Cunningham's role has been filled in the interim by vice-principal Pam Evans, who is now acting principal.
Meanwhile, another head teacher has taken on the role of acting vice-principal in addition to her own job.
Dr Cunningham was removed from the post in July 2016 and, at the time, the EA said it could not provide details of the reason for his precautionary suspension.
However, it is understood the investigation does not relate to pupils.
Mr Nelson confirmed Dr Cunningham was still under suspension but said he did not know what was happening with the investigation as staff have been forbidden from having any contact with him.
He said: "I have a number of outstanding issues to deal with, which Dr Cunningham had input into and that I need to consult him about, but I can't proceed because I'm not allowed to talk to him.
"It has reached the point where I am going to be asking the new EA chief executive Sara Long for a meeting as soon as possible to sort out these matters."
The SDLP councillor said the staff and governors had had to contend with a number of problems since the suspension.
"It took us two years to get approval for an acting vice-principal and it also took us two years to even get into Dr Cunningham's office," he said.
"They locked it when they suspended him which, in practical terms, made it very awkward to get files and information.
"I know the pressure Mrs Evans has been under and as governors we appreciate she is doing an excellent job under the circumstances. I have a lot of faith in her and the current senior management team."
He added: "This should have been resolved long before this. I am disappointed at the support we are receiving from the EA and the ongoing seemingly endless investigation into Dr Cunningham.
"The uncertainty is affecting the school.
"Peter's ethos always was that the children came first. That is something I thought was commendable and that ethos has continued. The school is exemplary for teaching children with special educational needs and that has been maintained.
"But it is probably at a great personal cost to the staff who are doing their job under this cloud."
The Irish News asked the EA for an update on the investigation into Dr Cunningham but a spokesperson said the authority "does not comment on individual cases”.
A Freedom of Information request was also declined with the EA saying it held the information requested but releasing it would "contravene data protection principles".
Dr Cunningham, who had been principal for 22 years when he was suspended, was a leading figure in the campaign for special educational needs provision for pupils when their formal education ends.
