Lehighton Area School District is moving forward with a request for proposals to hire outside legal counsel for investigations, following a vote Monday night.

Board members authorized administration to issue the RFP, which seeks legal expertise to conduct or support independent investigations into employee conduct, student matters, ethics complaints or other areas requiring impartial review.

Not all directors supported the step.

“I think it’s a huge waste of money,” Barbara Bowes, the only member to vote no, said. “Palmerton just passed a contract at $250 an hour, and then there are expenses on top of that. I don’t see a need for it.”

Bowes said the district never had a detailed discussion in executive session on what the firm would actually be used for.

Board President Joy Beers said prior discussions that had taken place were sufficient for most members.

The district’s RFP outlines that the selected firm or attorney would be expected to conduct or advise on investigations; prepare reports and present findings to the superintendent or board; provide legal guidance on investigation protocols; and assist with external agency inquiries when necessary.

Proposals must also include attorney résumés, a summary of relevant experience, references, a fee proposal and proof of insurance.

The discussion over special counsel began earlier this summer.

At a June meeting, Beers told residents that community members had raised complaints about potential criminal activity that had not been properly examined by the district.

“I think we have a duty to investigate these complaints,” board member Duane Dellecker said at the June meeting. “I’m in favor.”

Beers added at that meeting, “If we agree as a board to hire this special investigator, then yes, in executive session, which is allowable because it would be a legal matter, we would as a board choose what the topics would be.”

She pointed to past hazing accusations involving Lehighton Area Middle School football as an example. Parents of four students filed a lawsuit in Carbon County Court in 2022 alleging their children were sodomized while left unsupervised before a 2019 practice.

The complaint alleged three 14-year-old boys and a 15-year-old boy “suffered harm due to ongoing physical and sexual assaults, and a sexually hostile and physically violent environment” that coaches failed to correct. The civil matter remains pending, according to court records.

“Let’s use the hazing situation as an example,” Beers said in June. “Is it appropriate that parents in the district need to use their own money to sue the district and force an investigation that maybe should have been handled internally?

“I think the district has a responsibility to look into issues.”

According to the RFP, the school district will evaluate proposals based on experience, qualifications, cost, references and clarity.