Probe into missing file on superintendent ends

An investigation into the disappearance of former St. Charles School District 303 Superintendent Barbara Erwin's personnel file has ended without charges, officials said Tuesday.

St. Charles police spokesman Paul McCurtain said investigators hit a dead end after interviewing numerous District 303 employees.

The investigation has been ongoing since the file went missing June 27 -- less than a week before Erwin's last day.

"It's now officially closed pending further leads," McCurtain said, declining to say whether Erwin cooperated in the investigation.

Personnel files typically contain medical records, performance reviews and application materials among other items.

In the St. Charles district, they're kept in a locked room usually accessible to only four administrators and clerks.

Superintendent Donald Schlomann, who replaced Erwin in July, has said new security procedures would be put into place to make sure more files don't go missing.

He said he left the investigation up to police, although his office did cooperate.

"I'm going to rely on their judgment" to decide when to close it out, he said Tuesday.