During his tenure as senior director of technology for KIPP DC, Kevin Ward used $2.2 million of school funds to purchase cars, a camper, sports memorabilia and property in West Virginia, prosecutors alleged in a civil forfeiture complaint filed Monday. Ward worked for the charter network from 2017 until at least July 2021, according to court records, two months after he was elected mayor of Hyattsville.
The school system also conducted its own review, led by outside counsel and a team of forensics accountants, which found “this was an isolated incident conducted by a single individual who took advantage of extraordinary circumstances during the pandemic and the individual’s role as head of technology.”
“We take our financial responsibility seriously and continue to improve our financial controls and asset management based on the findings of our internal review,” the school system said in a statement.The complaint asserts KIPP DC paid companies Tenret Tech and Vast Systems for technology services and thousands of devices — including 1,000 Android tablets, 150 MacBook Air laptops and 3,400 Acer Chromebooks — between April 3, 2020 and Oct. 27, 2021.
“We know this may be difficult news for members of the Hyattsville community,” the statement said. It encouraged anyone struggling to reach out to the 988 Crisis Lifeline for help.