An investigation conducted by the Maryland Office of the Inspector General for Education has concluded that no property belonging to Harford Schools was stolen from Superintendent Sean Bulson during his trip to New Orleans in 2024. This follows a 911 call Bulson made, in which he reported a theft from his hotel room.
The state report, which was made public on Monday, indicated that the laptop and phone provided to Bulson by Harford County Public Schools, both of which he had claimed were stolen on April 6, 2024, were actually returned to him shortly after hotel staff found the items in his room.
A recording of Bulson’s 911 call to the New Orleans Police Department surfaced on social media last week, prompting calls from numerous state and local leaders for Bulson to step down from his position.
In light of these developments, the Board of Education placed Bulson on paid administrative leave after a lengthy closed session on Wednesday evening.
During the 911 call, a man who identified himself as Sean Bulson reported that an unknown woman had taken approximately $8,000 worth of belongings from his hotel room while he slept. Bulson was in New Orleans to attend a professional education conference on the same day he made the 911 call.
Following Bulson’s leave, former Board of Education President Aaron Poynton remarked to The Baltimore Sun that the district does not believe any items were actually stolen during the trip and confirmed that the Harford school district has retained possession of the laptop and cellphone Bulson reported missing since returning from New Orleans.
Poynton tendered his resignation on Thursday morning. Before resigning, he had initiated a request to the State Inspector General to investigate the situation.
“The day after the supposed incident, Bulson informed me that he suspected his equipment had been stolen,” Poynton stated. “However, when I spoke with Dr. Bulson a couple of days later, he clarified that the items had not been stolen; instead, they were misplaced in his hotel safe and subsequently recovered. After the police audio came to light, I felt it necessary to engage the inspector general for an independent investigation to verify these details.”
This story will be updated.
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