Shelly Chapman is no longer the school principal at Crossroads for Youth.
Chapman, who was an employee of Oxford Community Schools, resigned her post Jan. 29 after being confronted about using the district’s credit card to make approximately $3,400 in personal purchases, according to school officials.
‘The district has known about this for some time and we have been actively working on it for about a month,? said Superintendent Tim Throne.
Examples of personal use include purchases at Gardner White Furniture in Auburn Hills ($720.78); Coach, the purse store in Auburn Hills, ($173.84); Bed, Bath & Beyond in Rochester Hills ($149.38); and three trips to the Emagine movie theater in Rochester Hills ($77.75).
In a Feb. 2 phone interview, Chapman, who was hired by the district in 2014, told this reporter that she is ‘trying to make amends.?
‘It’s my issue and I have to deal with it and take responsibility for it,? she said. ‘I made restitution and I will move forward from here.?
‘I loved my job. I loved my kids. I worked with some really difficult kids and I loved them,? Chapman added. ‘I am deeply regretful (about) everything that I did.?
Throne confirmed that as of Tuesday afternoon, partial restitution had been made by Chapman and he expected the remainder to be paid by the end of the week.
As far as the principal position at Crossroads, Throne said the district has an interim plan for covering it.
‘We are reviewing our options for long-term replacement,? he added.
Throne said he has no further comment at this time because human resources is still handling the matter, but he expects to have more information concerning the incident within the next couple weeks.