Snelson-Golden Middle School’s Roland Van Horn will remain as principal next school year.

The Liberty County Board of Education voted to keep Van Horn as the school’s top administrator after an executive session during a Tuesday morning workshop. Van Horn was recently cleared by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission of wrongdoing apparently involving alleged misuse of the school’s gym.

But the GPSC ethics committee is still investigating school board member Marcus Scott IV, according to an email Thursday from the GPSC.

Van Horn was apparently set to lose his position at the end of the school year after a Feb. 14 vote by the school board. Scott said he thinks that occurred because Liberty County School Superintendent Dr. Valya Lee and some members of the board, specifically chairwoman Lily Baker, retaliated against Van Horn and others because they are close to Scott.

Scott, principal of an alternative school in Savannah, has also said during his “Education Hotline” broadcasts on Facebook, that Lee and the BoE accused him of violating the code of ethics on several different matters, including the misuse of the SGMS gym.

Scott, who runs a travel basketball program, said in a Feb. 15 broadcast it was that allegation that led to the demotion of Van Horn.

However, the demotion was never announced by Lee nor by other board members.

While Van Horn was cleared by the GPSC, which is responsible for certifying teachers, Lee has said the group’s investigation into the misuse of facilities is ongoing.

“Mr. Vanhorn has been cleared of all concerns,” Dr. Lee said in an email to the Courier. “However, others alleged to have been involved in the matter are still under investigation. As a result, I am unable to provide any additional information.”

Scott, who has not responded to a request for comment, has claimed in his weekly online radio show that the allegations stem from his having sided with former Liberty County Chief Financial Officer Roger Reese.

Reese alleges Lee and the BoE violated school system policy while

requesting for proposals for banking services. He also claims he was unjustly placed on administrative leave and underpaid. Reese has threatened Lee and the BoE with a lawsuit.

Scott has publicly said Lee and Baker violated policy in the RFPs. He has also stated he believes Reese being on leave without pay might be illegal.

In the meantime, the board itself is under scrutiny by AdvancED, the powerful school accreditation organization.

A letter from AdvancED to Lee and the BoE, dated March 13, said a special review team is set to arrive in Liberty County during the first term of the 2017-18 school year to investigate a number of allegations.

Those claims include that a board member has violated board policy by discussing personnel issues outside of executive session, claims of violations of school district policy regarding access to school facilities and allegations surrounding the school board’s handling of banking services.

To further cloud matters, Lee’s tenure as superintendent ends at the end of the 2016-17 school year.

She is being paid $190,000 in severance pay. BoE Chairwoman Lily Baker had said the decision for the payout was made by the BoE under the advisement of LCSS attorney Carl Varnedoe.

However Scott said that is not completely true in a March 15 broadcast on his “Educational Hotline.”

“Carl Varnedoe did not advise the BoE to buy her out,” he said at the time, noting he coul

couldn’t get specific because things were discussed in executive session. “The contract ended, we had options…and I’ll just leave it at that. The rest was handled in executive session so I’ll just leave it at that.”

Scott has also said the BoE violated board policy by excluding him from an executive session during the Feb. 14 called meeting.

Scott represents Liberty County School System District V and is also the Center Leader for Building Bridges, an alternative high School in Savannah.