BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — As your voice in education, I've been following the developments at Buffalo Public Schools (BPS), where accountability and transparency are essential for our community's children.
Buffalo police detective Richard Hy previously accused BPS officials of covering up abuse allegations and obstructing police investigations.
Hy made the original accusations on the Unsubscribe Podcast in April and he previously spoke with 7 News about why he decided to go public with his allegations. You can read more here.
The Buffalo Board of Education held a special meeting on April 28 and responded to the allegations, saying it was initiating an independent external investigation.
The board is expected to vote on a resolution Wednesday night to hire Rupp Pfalzgraf LLC as the special independent investigator. The Buffalo-based law firm would be tasked with conducting "a fair, equitable and thorough investigation of the allegations."
WATCH: 'We're comfortable with our selection': BPS board to vote on law firm to investigate abuse claims on podcast
I sat down with BPS Board of Education President Dr. Kathy Evans-Brown ahead of the meeting to learn more about this important decision.
"We looked at integrity, we looked at experience, we looked at the framework and the methodology that firms would be using, cost was a factor as well," Evans-Brown said.
According to Dr. Evans-Brown, Rupp Pfalzgraf was selected from 14 applicants as the best contender for this investigation.
The firm, founded in 2000, is headquartered in Buffalo but serves the greater Western New York and Albany area.
When asked if she was confident the firm could conduct an unbiased investigation, Evans-Brown expressed full confidence.
"Absolutely, all of the firms had to come up with a conflict of interest, and if it was a conflict, they had waivers, etc." Evans-Brown said. "So we are confident that Rob will be non-biased in this investigation. We're comfortable with our selection, and you know, as I mentioned, we will not be talking any further about it. We're confident that they will conduct a thorough, impartial, non-biased investigation."
Pfalzgraf has experience with high-profile cases, including environmental cases like the Love Canal tragedy and the Hyde Park Landfill case. Importantly, the firm has also handled sexual harassment cases, including one involving the leader of Servotronics, Inc. in Elma.
Evans-Brown indicated that the investigation would likely include reviewing recordings, videos and other materials, though no specific timeline has been established for the investigation's completion.
The board will pay the law firm $295 per hour for their services, with a total cost of approximately $52,500.
7 News took a closer look at two cases that Hy highlighted in the original podcast. You can read more here.
Hy has since appeared in more national podcasts, slamming the school district for not responding quickly to his original allegations. He appeared again on the Unsubscribe Podcast and also appeared on the Black Rifle Coffee Podcast, where he made another new allegation specifically targeting teachers. You can read more here.
