Folks who are new to the Coatesville Area School District (CASD) may be wondering why the abrupt exit of the superintendent and the athletic director during the first week of school has spawned so much negative speculation: Regrettably, long-term residents have become accustomed to sudden departures shrouded in secrecy.

In 1999, former superintendent Louis Laurento left in mid-contract amid allegations of mismanagement; ex-interim superintendent Samuel DeSimone was dismissed in 2001 after a few months on the job and conflict over his state pension payments; after months of discord, former superintendent James Scarnati resigned in 2005 with an agreement that included a “nondisparagement clause” – a way to make sure no one talked.

So when former superintendent Richard Como staged a hasty retreat, one could hardly blame taxpayers for wondering what prompted the decision. Given the school district’s troubled history of leadership, the board should have anticipated the questions and concerns and been prepared to answer them. That was certainly not the case.

Instead, the board effectively worsened the situation by plastering Como’s lame resignation letter on its web site. The missive suggested that Como walked in one day the first week of school – the only day he worked that first week – looked around and decided the school district was in fine shape, creating an optimal time for him to leave. If the timing were ideal, Como would have floated the idea months ago, and the board would be telling residents that a transition plan had been in the works.

Solicitor James Ellison’s insistence that the board simply complied with Como’s request and posted the letter because he had a Constitutional right to express himself is equally bogus. Como had many other ways to disseminate that bizarre explanation, and by acting as Como’s courier, the board sanctioned the charade.

Then, to exacerbate taxpayers’ pain, Jim Donato, the athletic director, resigned. To date, neither the board nor the school district has issued an official statement on that leave-taking. A reporter for The Times, following up on information that Donato hadn’t been seen in the building for days, decided to try and separate fact from fiction by making an appointment to see him, an effort that ultimately led to the disclosure that he was no longer employed by the district.

It’s hard to believe that this was a coincidence, particularly because the board, which is supposed to serve the public, continues to avoid comment. Not only does that posture fuel rumors – some of which have proven to have credence – but it also creates an unwelcome distraction from the education the district is supposed to provide.

The public deserves information, and it is justified in its anger over not getting it. Even if the board has to be terse for legal reasons, it can – and should – offer some assurances to its residents who are being overtaxed in more ways than one. Hiding behind closed doors isn’t the way to do that, and board members who feel no responsibility to be held accountable should go the way of Como and Donato.