The Bedford Area School District endeavors to be as transparent as possible. I will continue to hold this standard with the understanding that there are times when we must cooperate with other entities as they investigate issues and can only share information when appropriate. The attempt to fraud our District is a clear example of this balanced approach.
I wish I could tell you every detail, and with time, they will be available. What I can tell you is an individual attempted to steal $1.6 million from the District by impersonating one of our contractors working on the high school project. When the District realized the attempted fraud, we immediately contacted our bank and law enforcement. Additionally, we informed the School Board and involved our solicitor who guided us through sharing information. The Board asked numerous questions and fully activated its oversight process.
Throughout the investigation, the District was aware of the specific details of the situation and was confident it would be resolved successfully. Fortunately, the other bank deployed its protocol, and the fraud attempt was unsuccessful.
Again, I would like to tell the community the complete story, but the matter is still part of an active investigation. I can say the District reviewed all its internal processes as requested by the Board. Additionally, I would like the community to know we value your trust and please recognize we face numerous, almost daily attempts to fraud the District… frankly, I am usually the primary target as our email cyber security identifies fraud attempts to my email multiple times a day.
In summary, thank you for your patience and trust. Moreover, I want to share my thanks to our partners who helped resolve this issue successfully and continue to investigate it on behalf of all members of the Bedford Area School District.
Sincerely,
Dr. Ruhlman