When asked to address the sexual harassment allegations that led to his resignation, Newburgh Schools’ departing superintendent, Roberto Padilla, repeatedly referred to an unsigned statement attached to his separation agreement.

“It says there was no misconduct and witnesses corroborated that there was no wrongdoing,” he said Monday when reached by phone.

The statement also reads that two employees accused Padilla of sexual harassment during a social event at an educators’ conference in San Diego in August.

After months of investigations, contentious private school board meetings and uncertainty, the school district and Padilla signed on to a separation agreement to avoid “costly and disruptive litigation.”

Under the controversial agreement, the school district will keep paying Padilla his full salary until December 2023.

For the next 23 months, Padilla will remain on a leave of absence and remain on the payroll for about $1,000 a day.

In response to taxpayers and community leaders who object to the payout, Padilla returned to the statement under his separation contract.

“I’m just not going to get into the conference,” Padilla said. “The district put out a statement regarding the conference and the complaints. We’ve decided we’re going to go our separate ways.”

Almost immediately after the school board voted to approve the agreement during a December 31 special meeting, Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler announced he will investigate the terms of the payout.

"The citizens of Newburgh deserve some transparency and some understanding of what happened in this situation,” Hoovler said in an email Friday. “The DA’s office intends to fully examine the situation for criminal wrongdoing, misconduct, non-feasance or neglect by public servants, including the school board."

During the meeting, the board also voted to approve a new policy that would deny legal protection for board members who share confidential information from private "executive session" meetings.

Board member Darren Stridiron — who has been more vocal than other board members about the allegations against Padilla — sensed that the new policy was directed at him.

“I talk the truth," Stridiron said. "This is too much. You guys are too much. You’re not listening to the people.”

Some of Stridiron’s board colleagues, including William Walker, intimated that Stridiron should be more deliberate when speaking publicly about school personnel matters.

“Some people might need to go and review what the behavioral practices of a board member are before the open their mouths. Thank you,” Walker said.

Stridiron wrote on Facebook following the meeting that an attorney representing the school district informed him that the board will consider proceedings to remove Stridiron from his board seat.