MANCHESTER — While an investigation continues into Manchester High School West Principal MaryEllen McGorry and her secretary, several school board members say they remain in the dark about the matter.

Four interviewed recently said they don’t know what is going on but felt comfortable with the situation at this point.

“This is no different from what the police department does investigating a burglary,” said David Gelinas, the vice chairman of the school board. “Their investigation for the most part is kept secret. The Attorney General, their favorite line is ‘it’s an ongoing investigation.’”

In late September, Superintendent Thomas Brennan told school board members that he had suspended McGorry with pay. The following week, he said the same of her secretary, Denise Michael. He has since hired a $250-an-hour Massachusetts law firm to investigate.

Brennan has only said the investigation does not involve any harm done to a student.

The school board gets no details in order to ensure they are impartial should they be asked to overrule Brennan’s decision to fire an employee, the board members said, quoting the school district’s lawyer.

“I guess I can buy that,” said Sarah Ambrogi, a Manchester lawyer in her second term on the board. She added that she has enough faith that Brennan has taken appropriate steps to address what appears to be a serious matter.

Arthur Beaudry, a veteran member, said he doesn’t agree that board members have to be kept in the dark in order to be impartial.

“Board members should know what’s going on,” he said. “When someone gets arrested, they put in the paper what the charges are. That doesn’t mean they’re guilty or not.”

Beaudry, one of the more active board members, said he’s heard all sorts of rumors about McGorry. He imagines such rumors are going through the public, and speculation can end up hurting a person placed on suspension.

But Beaudry, the most in favor of disclosure of the four interviewed, said allegations shouldn’t be made public unless they are proven. He said a student on a vendetta could ruin a principal or teacher’s reputation with a single smear.

Ambrogi said she gets asked about McGorry, and she can honestly say she doesn’t know anything.

But Gelinas and Kathy Staub, a freshman board member, said no one has asked them anything about the matter. They have received a single email from a West student in support of McGorry.

Although several scenarios could play out, all board members said the public will eventually know whether McGorry and Michael keep their jobs.

If she ends up being fired, Beaudry said the public should know why.

“I’ve seen in the past, we’ve kicked the can down the road. Some other district picks this person up, and no one knows why this person was terminated,” he said.

(Beaudry is running for state Senate District 18 against a fellow school board member, Donna Soucy. Telephone and email messages left for Soucy this week were not returned.)

Staub said the city may never know the reason why any employee is terminated. It is a personnel matter, and the school district is legally required to protect the rights of its employees.

“We have laws we need to follow. We try to avoid creating more problems than we solve,” she said, noting that the district could face a costly lawsuit if it smears someone’s name.

But Ambrogi said it’s more than likely the reason for a termination would come out because appeal avenues beyond the school board level are in a pubic forum.

“Students at West should be given some information (upon termination),” Abrogi said. “I mostly think about them. Their principal is gone, and they won’t understand why.”

Brennan said termination could mean the end of an educator’s career. The state Department of Education reviews any termination and will invalidate a certificate if warranted.

Of course, some people facing termination will opt to resign. In that case, it’s up to the superintendent to determine what gets disclosed to a subsequent employer.

Brennan said he leans toward not signing a non-disclosure agreement as part of a resignation. But he added that every circumstance is different, and he follows legal advice.

“In my position as superintendent, I would always want to be allowed to show the facts,” he said. In some cases, he may accept an agreement to give a bare bones recommendation that merely confirms the dates of a person’s employment.

That’s usually enough for the superintendent interviewing a potential employee to ask a lot of questions, he said.

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Mark Hayward may be reached at mhayward@unionleader.com.