RICHMOND, Va. — Richmond Public Schools dismissed its former facilities director after internal investigations found he misappropriated funds and coerced subordinates to conceal wrongdoing, records showed.
Those findings are contained in documents CBS 6 obtained after filing a lawsuit against the Richmond School Board, alleging the district violated the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by providing a heavily redacted copy of the investigation reports in response to an initial records request.
RPS provided the unredacted documents on July 6 after agreeing to settle the lawsuit.
Another media outlet, The Richmonder, filed a similar lawsuit seeking the same records and prevailed in court. Richmond Circuit Court Judge Tracy Thorne-Begland, who ordered the release of the unredacted records, said such disclosure is "exactly the degree of sunshine FOIA contemplates in a free and open form of governance."
An anonymous tip sent to RPS in February sparked an RPS investigation that concluded former Facilities Director Bobby Hathaway bought supplies that had no school use or rationale for purchase. Several of the items could not be found or accounted for.
The district's self-described "limited audit" discovered nearly $5,000 in questionable purchases and recommended a forensic investigation to determine the "full scope" of financial impact.
RPS investigators found Hathaway failed to establish protocols for the facilities department to receive deliveries, verify the necessity of purchased items, manage inventory, or confirm materials were used for intended work orders. The director of finance described trying to link purchase orders to invoices as "looking for a needle in a haystack."
The investigation also found the department's P-card usage lacked oversight to prevent unauthorized spending and allowed unchecked access to RPS assets.
A separate investigation found that while Hathaway was on administrative leave in February, he "leveraged his authority to compel" employees to disable security cameras so he could return a zero-turn lawnmower, which he was not authorized to possess, without being detected.
The report said Hathaway denied this when questioned by RPS, but investigators said his testimony was "demonstrably false."
Records showed Hathaway attempted to resign on April 23, but School Board Chair Shavonda Fernandez said the board decided not to accept his resignation after receiving the investigation report.
He was then dismissed on June 3 and received regular pay through June 2, records showed.
Hathaway did not return CBS 6's requests for comment.
RPS parent Allison Miessler said she was concerned to learn about the findings, especially as the district grapples with a budget shortfall.
"I am appalled. Like, this is crazy," Miessler said. "Definitely warrants audits and investigation and reconciliation. Like, if money was taken, we need to find a way to fill the gaps."
She called on the district to be open about what happened to the missing funds.
"Be transparent about funds that have been found to be gone that shouldn't have been gone. I think all of that matters, and people need to be held accountable for that," Miessler said.
CBS 6 requested an interview with Superintendent Jason Kamras for this story. RPS spokesperson Alyssa Schwenk said he was not available but provided a written statement.
"As soon as we were alerted to possible misconduct earlier this year, we took immediate action and began an investigation, which was followed through to the end, with our initial findings turned over to the Richmond Police Department," Schwenk said.
Richmond Police confirmed an active investigation is ongoing.
Schwenk added the district is updating internal processes, and the school board auditor is conducting a review to support further improvement.
In a separate statement, Fernandez said she has confidence in the facilities department's ability to move forward and that the board will continue to strengthen oversight and ensure resources are managed responsibly.
Obtaining these reports required CBS 6 to take legal action against the school board. The first time CBS 6 requested the investigation findings, RPS provided a heavily redacted copy that shielded many details.
CBS 6 believed this was a violation of the Freedom of Information Act.
Our counsel sent RPS a demand letter on June 2, sent a notice of intent to file a complaint on June 23, and formally filed a lawsuit on June 29. Amid this timeline, a judge ruled RPS' redactions violated FOIA in The Richmonder's case on June 24.
RPS agreed to settle CBS 6's lawsuit and provided the documents on July 6.
Fernandez did not directly answer a question about why the board did not initially disclose the requested information given the matter involves public funds and public trust but said in a statement, "The Board was made aware that there was an investigation into the allegations. Upon receiving the final investigation report, the Board decided it could not accept the resignation. Given potential litigation in this matter, the Board cannot comment any further at this time."
Schwenk also did not directly answer a similar question but said RPS strives to "maintain due process and confidentiality of employees and former employees."
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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