The scathing Monroe County grand jury report detailing a pattern of intimidation and bullying by two former Pleasant Valley School District administrators, and a current one also referred to a “culture of cronyism …”

The exhaustive, 106-page report that included testimony from 64 witnesses and the results of examining more than 20,000 pages of documents made this important assessment: “The best interests of students and staff were ignored to advance selfish goals.”

The grand jury recommends that charges be filed against former Superintendent Carole Geary and retired Assistant to the Superintendent Christopher Fisher, as well as Joshua Krebs, a current administrator who is on paid administrative leave. Krebs is awaiting trial on wiretap and perjury charges. He has been accused of placing a hidden camera in the employees’ break room and lying to the grand jury.

Krebs, 38, of Kunkletown, is charged with intercepting communications stemming from the camera in the break room. The perjury charge results from lies he allegedly told the grand jury under oath about an encounter with a former Pleasant Valley student in a bar nearly 10 years ago. The good news cited by the grand jury notes that more recently things have improved. “Much of the bullying has diminished under the current administration of Superintendent David Piperato and the present composition of the school board. Many teachers and support staff have noticed a change for the better,” the report says.

But all is not rosy, as the report continues: “However, certain concerns remain, including the appearance of continued targeting by the administration of critical voices. The culture seems to persist and is made apparent by an attitude of some in the current administration and board who view this investigation not as an impartial fact-finding process but the result of a vendetta by a small minority of troublemakers among the staff. This persistent mindset has fostered an ‘us versus them’ mentality that undercuts improvements being made. This mindset has also been responsible for some of the hostility and suspicion expressed towards this investigation.”

The presentment says employees were afraid to criticize the district’s Step by Step Learning Program, fearing that they would be retaliated against by former Superintendent Geary, who now serves as a senior consultant with the Step by Step organization. She took this job after retiring from Pleasant Valley last year.

The report also carefully documents instances of intimidation, threats and bullying allegedly carried out by the three administrators.

Getting back to the allegation of “cronyism” that I mentioned at the start of this column, many are unfamiliar with the term, especially when used in connection with the public sector.

Cronyism is when a person in authority awards jobs, positions, perks and other advantages to friends, trusted colleagues or family members who are not necessarily qualified.

The sad truth is that cronyism is way more common than you might imagine. It shows up in municipal, state and federal government circles, too. We need look no further than the White House and some of the head-scratching appointments made by President Donald Trump involving his family and supporters.

Usually, we do not see such blatant examples, but they do exist in various manifestations at various levels of government and elsewhere.

In hierarchies, such as a school district, some administrators demand fierce and unflinching loyalty from their underlings. Those who are supportive are rewarded with upward mobility and favoritism. Those who are not are sidelined and made to pay in various ways.

It is not unusual for administrators to surround themselves with compliant subordinates. In my day, we used to call them “yes men.” Today, I guess the more politically correct term would be “yes persons.”

The danger in this approach is that the key administrators rarely hear when trouble is brewing or when an organization’s direction is heading down the wrong road. Instead of the subordinates being totally honest with the boss, they withhold key information to curry favor and give the impression that all is well, when, in fact, it is anything but sunshine and lollipops.

Many times, cases of cronyism escape detection for a long time. Judging from the grand jury report, which noted that six employees complained about being demoted or mistreated for failing to play ball, this was the case at Pleasant Valley. Sometimes instances of cronyism are immediately evident, but sometimes it is only through hindsight that these abuses come to light. Because of the Pleasant Valley investigation, our area school districts’ boards of education would do well to take stock of their own houses to see whether some of the issues uncovered in the West End exist elsewhere.

It is much better to root out cases of bullying, intimidation and, yes, cronyism, internally than having a judicial body do it for you.

By Bruce Frassinelli | tneditor@tnonline.com