West Bloomfield School District
deanna barash

Former administrator in Michigan district charged with obstructing a grand jury probe

April 8, 2021
Deanna Barash was an assistant superintendent in the West Bloomfield district until 2 weeks ago, but the charges are believed to stem from actions in her previous job as an administrator in the Northville district.

A former assistant superintendent with the West Bloomfield (Mich.) School District has been charged with obstructing a grand jury investigation by deleting emails and lying to federal investigators about her actions.

The Detroit Free Press reports that Deanna Barash, 46, is accused of lying to investigators about deleting emails in connection with a criminal investigation. Prosecutors did not disclose details about the investigation, stating only that Barash committed the crimes between May 2018 and Dec. 9, 2019.

The case is believed to involve dealings with a vendor when Barash was an assistant superintendent with another Detroit area school system--the Northville (Mich.) district. She left that job in 2017 when she was hired in West Bloomfield schools.

The charges come two weeks after Barash abruptly resigned from her job with the West Bloomfield School District.

West Bloomfield School District spokesman Dan Durkin had little to say about the charges, stating only: "The case at hand has nothing to do with the West Bloomfield School District."

Barash was charged in a document known as an Information, which typically means a defendant is cooperating and expected to plead guilty.

About the Author

Mike Kennedy | Senior Editor

Mike Kennedy has been writing about education for American School & University since 1999. He also has reported on schools and other topics for The Chicago Tribune, The Kansas City Star, The Kansas City Times and City News Bureau of Chicago. He is a graduate of Michigan State University.

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