2nd Harford Co. School Leader Placed On Paid Leave: Reports

HARFORD COUNTY, MD — A second top Harford County Public Schools official has been placed on paid leave in the case involving Superintendent Sean Bulson at an education conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, in April 2024, reports state.

Eric Davis, deputy superintendent of the school systen, was placed on leave Sunday, four days after Bulson was put on paid leave. The move came a day before the Maryland Inspector General’s Office released a report that confirmed Bulson used Davis’ personal cell phone to call 911 to report a theft of school property from his hotel room. The two were at the New Orleans conference.

Jillian Lader, spokesperson for the school district, confirmed to The Baltimore Sun Tuesday that Davis had been placed on leave, but did not provide additional details.

The school district has not officially issued a news release or statement about Davis being placed on leave, as of Wednesday.

Related: Superintendent's School Property Wasn't Stolen On Trip, Report Says

The report from the inspector general's office said property reported stolen by Bulson while he was in New Orleans was not taken then. It instead was found in his safe by hotel security and shipped to Bulson's home at his expense.

Bulson made a 911 call on April 6, 2024, to New Orleans Police to report school equipment missing from his room. The 911 call's transcript has been posted by the law firm Turnbull Brockmeyer Law Group on Facebook.

During that 911 call, Bulson reported a theft and said a woman was in his room and left while he was asleep. When he awoke, he discovered the items were missing.

According to Turnbull Brockmeyer Law Group, the items reported stolen by Bulson included phones, an iPad, a laptop, an Apple Watch and technology that "appears consistent with employer-issued devices."

In an interview with the inspector general's office, Bulson said he thought the items had been stolen and after searching his room for them, he went to the deputy superintendent's room to use Davis' school-issued phone to call his wife and then the New Orleans Police to report the items as stolen.

Bulson then contacted the school district's information technology director to disable access to the school laptop and phone. After he gave an 11 a.m. scheduled presentation, Bulson told former Harford County School Board President Aaron Poynton about the missing items.

In his interview with the inspector general's office, Poynton said Bulson told him he believed he had been "rolled" in the night and that the aforementioned items might have been stolen from his hotel room. Poynton said he didn't pursue the matter further after learning that the school devices had been found in the room safe and returned to Bulson.

Davis wasn't interviewed by the inspector general's office.

Related:

• Harford Co. Superintendent On Leave Amid Controversy
• Harford Co. Education Board President Resigns
• Interim Superintendent Of Harford Co. Schools Graduated From Joppatowne HS
• Harford County Executive Cassilly Calls for Resignation of Schools Superintendent Bulson