School investigation information shortage

As the rumor mill turns with greater momentum every day, facts are scarce about the apparent investigation into … well, there’s the problem.

Beyond knowing that the public school system is connected to whatever the Maryland State Prosecutor’s office is looking into and that Worcester County sought the investigation into some aspect of the schools, there’s not much definitive that can be said.

We have reported or are reporting on two searches the state office has conducted, one at the home of a school system employee and another the Worcester County Board of Education offices in Newark, but the most important factors — the what and why of it all — we don’t know for a fact and no one who does know is talking.

One of the reasons for this reluctance is because an investigation is not an indictment. The former is the pursuit of answers, while the latter is an expression of belief based on those answers.

Until the state’s investigators make their determination, the responsible approach dictates that it’s better to say nothing than to say something that turns out to be wrong.