Menu
Cloverdale School Board asks Asbury to step down; Livingston resigns
CLOVERDALE -- In light of the recent arrest of school board member Brian Asbury and Cloverdale Middle School behavior interventionist and Cloverdale High School wrestling coach Steve Livingston, the Cloverdale School Board made an official statement during its monthly meeting on Monday evening.
The two Cloverdale officials were allegedly involved in a Nov. 3 Iowa bar fight that resulted in a night in the Buchanan County (Iowa) Jail for Asbury.
When further charges were filed later, both men were arrested in Putnam County on Iowa warrants.
Cloverdale School Board President Duane Huge, speaking on behalf of fellow members Bobbi Nees, Donna Fidler, Pamelia Hepfer, Chris Mann and Rob Schroer, made the following statement regarding the legal troubles of board member Brian Asbury.
We want to convey to our school community -- students, teachers and parents -- that we take our responsibility very seriously. We have a policy that states our Code of Ethics and one of the many items listed in that Code of Ethics is "...winning the community's confidence that all is being done in the best interests of school children." Therefore, the school board wishes to express that the current events and situations with Mr. Asbury are not appropriate behavior or acceptable activities for a board member.
We are not judging him because that is not our job; however, it is our job as board members to be good role models to encourage our students to be their personal best at all times. The law states that an elected official be convicted of a felony crime before they must be removed from an elected office. An individual may resign an office before the term has expired. We trust that Mr. Asbury will do what is in the best interest of the students of the district and consider resigning his current position.
This is his decision to make -- not ours for him. His resignation would in no way be an admission of guilt for any pending charges against him, but would serve the best interest of the students and community in taking responsibility for his behavior.
The police report claims that Asbury and Livingston went into an Independence, Iowa, bar where one of the reported victims talked to the men about their alleged interaction with his wife and cousin. The Iowa men also alleged they were jumped by Asbury and Livingston outside the bar, with one man sustaining serious injuries to his left eye, which officers described as "hanging out of its socket."
Asbury admitted under questioning to hitting the men several times. However, Livingston has denied hitting anyone.
The board chose only to speak on the issues regarding its fellow board member stating that the members take their responsibility very seriously and the actions of Asbury in Iowa were not appropriate or acceptable for a board member.
"We want to convey to our school community -- students, teachers and parents -- that we take our responsibility very seriously," board President Duane Huge said. "We are not judging him because that is not our job. However, it is our job as board members to be good role models to encourage our students to be their personal best at all times."
According to Indiana law, an elected official must be convicted of a felony crime before they must be removed from an elected office. However, the official may resign from office before the term has expired.
"We trust that Mr. Asbury will do what is in the best interest of the students of the district and consider resigning his current position," Huge added. "This is his decision to make -- not ours for him. His resignation would in no way be an admission of guilt for any pending charges against him, but would serve the best interest of the students and community in taking responsibility for his behavior."
Not speaking on the issues surrounding Livingston, the board however approved his resignation effective at the end of his contract or the end of the current academic school year.
The board also approved the hiring of Christian Frye as the new Cloverdale High School Wrestling Coach.
Asbury was not in attendance during the Monday meeting as he was recently placed back in the Putnam County Jail after pleading guilty to a probation violation for leaving the state without receiving court permission, which stems from his 2012 guilty plea of driving while intoxicated.
Asbury also failed to complete a court-ordered substance abuse treatment program by skipping his last two scheduled counseling sessions.
He had also violated his probation in the original case when an August 2013 drug screen came back positive for methamphetamine.
Both Asbury and Livingston face a felony charge of willful injury, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.
They are set to appear in court in Buchanan County, Iowa, at 9 a.m. today.