Wishnask's personnel file to possibly be opened

Jessica Wishnask was arrested over the weekend after police found her in the back seat of a car with a fifteen-year-old boy. During her tenure with New Hanover County, Wishnask was suspended twice, but managed to move on to another school district after she resigned. The New Hanover County School Board is using the incident involving former Williston Middle School teacher Jessica Wishnask as an opportunity to review their policies. "The thing that I want to make sure is that we don't have a situation again, where a teacher for any reason if she or he has been suspended, that they receive a letter of recommendation from the county,” said NHC school board member Elizabeth Redenbaugh. Wishnask was suspended twice while teaching at Williston, but what continues to concern parents is the fact that she still managed to get another job teaching in Pitt County. Information surrounding why Wishnask was suspended is buried in her personnel file, which is confidential. The school board is now considering releasing information in her file, in order to protect the integrity of the school district. "It's not that the school board is trying to be evasive or trying to withhold information from the public,” Redenbaugh said. The NC Board of Education is in the process of investigating Wishnask. As of right now, she is still a registered teacher in the state, but depending on what the state ethic's commission decides, her license could be revoked. The school board is also looking into the supervisor who recommended Wishnask move onto teach in Pitt County. He filled out a recommendation form, stating he would re-hire Wishnask in this school system.