An Indiana school superintendent who was arrested for allegedly using her own health insurance to purchase medicine for a sick, uninsured student, has resigned.
Casey Smitherman submitted her resignation to the Elwood School Board on Friday after being charged last month with insurance fraud, identity theft and official misconduct over the incident, Indianapolis station WISH-TV reported.
Smitherman said her decision to resign was to prevent any further negative attention to the school and its district.
“I am very embarrassed for that, and I apologize to the board, the community and the teachers and students of Elwood Community Schools,” she said in a statement obtained by the Indianapolis Star. “I sincerely hope this single lapse in judgment does not tarnish all of the good work I’ve done for students over the span of my career.”
The school board, which previously said it stood by her, accepted her resignation.
Smitherman was arrested on Jan. 23 after telling police that she brought the 15-year-old boy to see a doctor under her son’s name after the boy missed school because of a sore throat.
She told authorities that she had in the past cared for the child in ways that included helping him clean his house and providing him with clothing. Her health insurance, identified by authorities as Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, covered the cost of his treatment, which totaled $233, according to previously released court documents.
Audra Rich, who said she is a cousin of the 15-year-old boy, attended Friday’s school board meeting and called Smitherman’s actions not only unnecessary but inappropriate.
“He didn’t need for her to come get him and take him to the doctor,” she told Fox 59 News. “Nothing from her at home was needed and it was inappropriate.”
The state’s Department of Education said it is considering taking action regarding Smitherman’s educator license, Fox 59 reported.
Madison County Prosecutor Rodney Cummings has said he will offer Smitherman a diversion program that will allow the charges to be dropped against her as long as she is not arrested again in the coming year.