DETROIT (Michigan News Source) – The Detroit Public Schools Community District recommended this month firing an elementary school teacher who had five years of service after it was discovered the employee was working a second job during school hours.

The school teacher had started a private business that the teacher was working during school hours and using school resources and had not disclosed the business to the school district, according to school district documents. The teacher made sales and had products delivered to school district property, sometimes during hours the teacher was not supposed to be in the school.

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The investigation was handled by the district’s Office of Inspector General.

The OIG investigated 39 cases in the fiscal 2023-24 year which included 16 ethics violations, seven cases of insurance fraud, seven cases of abuse, one case of theft and one case of unauthorized employment.

The Office of Inspector General has uncovered $46.1 million in fraud from 2009 through 2024 involving 1,225 cases. That OIG stated it uncovered $3.5 million in fraud in 2023-24. The OIG reported recovering $87,335 through its 2023-24 investigations.

Highlights of the 2024 cases included discovering the district paid out $73,811 in regular staff pay to employees from 2018 to 2023 who were on worker’s compensation leave. As a result of the investigation, the district was able to recover $43,570.