ST. CLAIR SHORES, Mich. (WXYZ) — A criminal investigation is underway after tens of thousands of dollars allegedly went missing from the PTO's bank account at Violet Elementary School in St. Clair Shores.
Parents at Violet Elementary School are demanding answers after a criminal investigation was launched involving former PTO members over allegations that tens of thousands of dollars are missing from the group's bank account.
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According to a source close to the investigation, the missing funds left the PTO with no accessible operating funds as of Friday. The PTO helps pay for field trips, classroom supplies, school events and activities for students.
Lake Shore Public Schools Superintendent Joseph DiPonio said while Violet Elementary School's PTO is independent from the district, the district was alerted after other board members found discrepancies in the PTO's accounting.
"If someone did something wrong they need to be held accountable for it," DiPonio said. "There is a certain kind of wrong when you take something that was intended for a child."
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"There has to be very swift and firm accountability, but there has to be the standard of due process."
Parents say the alleged missing money is frustrating, especially after a year of fundraising efforts.
"I was shocked as a parent," Carrie Marcath, a Violet Elementary School parent, said.
Marcath, who has two children at Violet Elementary, said the community deserves to know what happened to the money.
"We are very concerned. We would like to know where the money has gone. We have raised money all year long and now, there's no funds," Marcath said.
Other parents echoed those concerns, calling for transparency and a full review of the PTO's finances.
"For all that money to just be gone, it's very frustrating," Melissa Piaseczny, a Violet Elementary School parent, said. "Hopefully going forward, they'll be more transparent and we'll know where the funds are going."
"It just makes me feel pretty awful, but we do like having our kids at Violet and I hope that they just do a thorough investigation," Nicolai Kowalski, a Violet Elementary School parent, said.
"I feel a little anger and I am angered about this and I want to know more about what's going on," Neil Dodge, a Violet Elementary School parent, said.
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