Dever

Edward "Ted" Dever has been placed on leave with pay as Arlington High School director of athletics after town police identified him as the target of an unspecified investigation. Rob DiLoreto, a house dean and former athletics director, is filling in, coaches were told Thursday, Aug. 30.

A statement from Superintendent Kathleen Bodie, released Aug. 29, said Dever, athletics director since 2007,  referred to probes by the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and Arlington police "involving allegations of certain criminal conduct." The statement did not further describe the conduct.

Bodie's statement said: "The Superintendent has concluded that the best interests of Arlington Public Schools and its student-athletes are served by leave pending the outcome of the investigation of these allegations. This action is not a determination that the allegations are true.

"While we cannot comment on the allegations or on the investigation, we are unaware of any allegations of conduct that involves the operation of the Arlington High School athletic programs or of the Arlington Public Schools.

"Any further questions should be directed to Arlington Police Chief Frederick Ryan.

In a story at Boston.com Aug. 29, Ryan said, "We typically don’t comment on, or confirm ongoing investigations, but given Mr. Dever’s leadership role with the public schools and the athletic program, we felt compelled to notify the school district."

YourArlington did not immediately reach Dever for comment.

A source said Dever was told he was on leave Monday, Aug. 27.

Bodie said her statement was sent to Patch and The Advocate before it was sent to YourArlington, because both had requested it. YourArlington had been unaware of the issue until then.

Apparently, the first to report about the matter was on Aug. 23 at Truepersons.com:

"Our last tidbit involves rumors of an FBI investigation against an employee of the Arlington Public Schools," the anonymous author wrote.

The claim about the FBI has yet to be confirmed. 

Asked whether he knows of any FBI investigation related to an employee of the Arlington Public Schools, as Truepersons reported, Chief Ryan wrote Augt. 31: "I do not wish to comment on rumors."

The blog item continues: "We have no concrete information about the employee in question, nor the nature of the investigation, but this possibility brings up an interesting point. What is the policy of the Arlington Public Schools regarding an indictment, investigation, criminal complaint or court ruling against an employee? Searching the Arlington School Committee’s policy manual finds no such policy."

The writer continues, going into uncharted territory, moving from what is called "a Penn State moment" to further speculation:

"We wonder if Arlington is about to be complicit in a similar circumstance, providing cover for someone under investigation of inappropriate behavior around school children. They certainly have a convenient excuse if the rumor turns out to be true."

This story was first reported Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012, and updated the next day.