By By KERRY WHIPPLE BEAN – Publisher
Margaret Breland Bradley has been placed on administrative leave from Southern Normal School pending an internal investigation by parent institution Alabama State University.
&#8220The university wants to make sure practices are in place to protect the integrity of school policy and the stewardship of university funds,” ASU spokeswoman Janel Bell said.
Bradley, a former superintendent of Escambia County Schools, operates the ASU satellite campus, which offers graduate courses and children's programs.
In April 2000, Bradley left the county school district after 21 months when the school board voted 4-3 not to renew her contract.
She filed a lawsuit against the district alleging racial and gender discrimination, but a U.S. District Court judge dismissed the suit in 2003, saying she had not presented sufficient evidence of discrimination.
Among concerns some school board members cited in not renewing Bradley's contract were the loss of longtime school district employees and questionable spending practices, according to news articles printed at that time.
In testimony during the lawsuit, school board member Mike Goolsby said he was concerned about Bradley's spending practices, noting the purchase of a $100,000 computer program as an example, according to articles published at the time.