By Jeanie Groh

jeanie.groh@salisburypost.com

A Rowan-Salisbury School System administrator who was the subject of an internal investigation has resigned, and the district is remaining tight-lipped on details.

Dr. Crystal Vail served as the director of the district’s Exceptional Children department and was placed on administrative leave with pay Feb. 10, pending an internal investigation.

District officials would not share the results of the investigation, but Vail resigned on April 17.

“The public school personnel laws of N.C. do not permit the release of information regarding the results of an internal investigation,” Rowan-Salisbury Public Information Officer Rita Foil wrote in an email.

The search for a new Exceptional Children director has been posted on the school’s website, and will be advertised for at least 10 days. Kathy Sanborn was named as interim director.

“The district is re-evaluating the job description and will begin interviewing candidates in May,” Foil said. “We are projecting a start date of June 15th.”

Vail came to the Rowan-Salisbury School System in April 2008.

According to her LinkedIn account, she previously served as the Exceptional Children’s program administrator for Winston Salem/Forsyth County Schools from July 2006 until April 2008. Before that, she was a principal and an assistant principal with Guilford County Schools

Vail had no record of disciplinary action during her time with the Rowan-Salisbury School System.

Parents with Passion and a Purpose, an advocacy group of Rowan-Salisbury parents with special needs children, was very vocal about the struggles they faced under Vail’s tenure with the school system.

Parents including Cathy Wilkes, Amber Grumbles and Kim Sikes said in earlier interviews that Vail was “difficult.”

“It’s just been one thing after another with her,” Wilkes said. “We’ve got a mess – we’ve got an absolute mess.”

Jimmy Hadden, however, said Vail did a lot for his granddaughter.

“She really goes forth with the effort to do what is needed with the children,” he said.