Bonduel principal could lose license

State education officials are investigating whether Bonduel Elementary School Principal Brad Grayvold lied on his state license application to conceal a 2010 conviction for domestic violence.

Grayvold could lose his license and become ineligible to continue as principal if the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction determines that he falsified his application.

The Shawano Leader obtained a copy of the license application on which Grayvold answered “no” to whether he has ever been convicted of a crime, including one that was later expunged from his record.

Grayvold was found guilty in August 2010 of misdemeanor domestic violence after a physical altercation with a woman outside the school where he worked in Michigan. The conviction was expunged after Grayvold completed a year of probation, although it remains a matter of public record.

DPI spokesman Tom McCarthy said the investigation launched Thursday would include both the domestic violence case and the question of whether Grayvold was truthful on his license application.

Depending what the investigation shows, McCarthy said, Grayvold could lose his license to work as a school district administrator in Wisconsin.

“That is always an option that the department has,” said McCarthy, who declined to discuss other options.

Bonduel School District Administrator Patrick Rau said in an email Thursday that Grayvold had a valid state license when the district hired him, and officials had not been notified why the state was investigating the license.

“Until we receive further information from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction,” Rau said, “we are not going to speculate on the reason for the status change.”

Grayvold, who was hired June 12 to become principal at Bonduel Elementary School, said he was unaware of the DPI investigation.

Grayvold said he believes he was truthful on his license application because, he said, the domestic violence case in 2010 was “dismissed” without any investigation or conviction, under a deal worked out with prosecutors and the judge.

“I’ve done what I needed to do,” he said. “We’re just being positive going forward. I’ve done a great job, and I continue to do it.”

Grayvold began his principal’s job in Bonduel effective July 1, overseeing about 300 students from kindergarten to fifth grade, with sixth-graders joining the school this year when classes resume Sept. 5.

McCarthy said he could not estimate how long the investigation into Grayvold’s license would take or whether it would be completed before the school year starts.

Grayvold, 50, a longtime school teacher and administrator in Michigan, was hired from a pool of 42 applicants to succeed Peggy Jones, who retired after 16 years as principal at Bonduel Elementary School. Grayvold previously had worked as a social studies teacher, football coach and elementary school principal in Norway, Michigan.

The Shawano Leader reported June 29 that Grayvold’s past involved reports of alcohol abuse and domestic violence. His conviction in 2010 stemmed from an altercation with a woman who had confronted him about having alcohol on his breath. At the time of his arrest, Grayvold told police he was an alcoholic.

Records show he was originally charged with a felony and was convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence.

Grayvold signed a disclosure to the Michigan Department of Education indicating that he had been convicted of a crime. His school superintendent at the time, Randall Van Gasse, also filed a notification to the state that Grayvold had pleaded guilty to domestic violence.

Grayvold served about six more years as principal of the elementary school in Norway before seeking out new opportunities in Wisconsin.

DPI records obtained by the Leader show that Grayvold received a license to become an administrator in Wisconsin effective Jan. 1 of this year. As part of the license application process, he completed a “conduct and competency” questionnaire regarding his background.

Grayvold answered “no” on two questions related to criminal history: whether he had ever been convicted “of any criminal or other offense” including cases that had been expunged, and whether he had ever participated in a prosecution agreement “to dispose of charges resulting from a criminal investigation,” again including cases later expunged.

Disclosing a prior conviction for domestic violence might not have prevented Grayvold from getting his license, but it could have made the process more complicated.

McCarthy said state officials in those situations typically seek out court records and request an explanation from the applicant to determine if the conviction constituted “immoral conduct.” State law covering school license applicants defines immoral conduct as behavior that is “contrary to commonly accepted moral or ethical standards and that endangers the health, safety, welfare or education of any pupil.”

According to the DPI website, state officials generally learn about potential incidents of immoral conduct from mandatory school district disclosures, from parent or other citizen complaints, or from the news media.

After publishing the June 29 report about Grayvold’s criminal history, the Leader obtained his Wisconsin license information and asked state officials about their review of the application. As part of that inquiry, the newspaper provided DPI with copies of public records of Grayvold’s criminal history in Michigan.

McCarthy said the state conducts a background check on every license applicant, but Grayvold’s background turned up no information about the domestic violence case in Michigan. Officials are unsure why the 2010 case went undetected, he said.

On the DPI website, Grayvold’s license status was changed Thursday from “valid” to “under investigation.” State officials were also working Thursday to notify Grayvold and Bonduel school administrators of the investigation.

McCarthy said he could not recall the last time the state investigated whether someone had falsified a license application.

“It’s not the usual reason that people go under investigation,” he said.