Beech Grove school board member Rick Skirvin retires amidst defamation lawsuit

Beech Grove school board member Rick Skirvin, who is facing a defamation lawsuit after he accused three students of theft, announced last week he plans to retire from the board.

The announcement follows allegations from three Beech Grove High School families that Skirvin falsely accused their sons of theft outside of school, leading them to file the defamation lawsuit against him.

Skirvin declined to comment further on his retirement announcement. Skirvin’s retirement is effective January 1, 2024 and the district is now taking applications to fill the open seat.

Skirvin served on the school board for nearly 17 years and was reelected to his seat during the November 2022 general election in which he faced no challengers.

In September, the parents of the three students spoke at a school board meeting after Skirvin took photos of the three boys and told the school superintendent he had seen them stealing from two local pharmacies. The parents asked that the district investigate Skirvin and that he resign from office.

Read more here:Encounter between Black teens and Indiana school official stirs outrage

When later asked about the incident by IndyStar, Skirvin rejected accusations of wrongdoing, saying that he did not witness the crime himself and was passing along information to the school.

The Beech Grove school board is taking applications for the open seat now through January 5, 2024. The board members will review applications during an executive session and conduct interviews on January 16, 2024.

Then the board will appoint the new member by the end of January.

Anyone interested in filing the position must live in the Beech Grove City Schools boundary lines.

Contact IndyStar reporter Caroline Beck at 317-618-5807 or CBeck@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @CarolineB_Indy.

Caroline’s reporting is made possible by Report for America and Glick Philanthropies. As part of its work in Marion County, Glick Philanthropies partners with organizations focused on closing access and achievement gaps in education. 

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