A former Sussex Central High School (SCHS) Principal has been arrested on multiple charges including Official Misconduct and Theft related to falsified payments made to a staff member within the Indian River School District (IRSD).
On March 19, Judith Brittingham, 46, of Lewes, returned a warrant on multiple charges including Official Misconduct, Theft, and Forgery. The charges follows an investigation into, and subsequent indictment for, falsified overtime and mileage compensation payments arranged by Brittingham to benefit an IRSD paraprofessional with whom she later began a romantic relationship.
“No one is above the law or beneath justice,” said Attorney General Kathy Jennings. “Public employees who break the law are harming taxpayers, themselves, and good public servants whose work is undermined when the public trust is eroded. I am grateful to our prosecutors and the Delaware State Police for their dedication as we move forward with this case.”
Between April 4, 2022 and May 30, 2023, Brittingham arranged to have an IRSD paraprofessional paid overtime for in-home tutoring services that were performed during school hours. Brittingham submitted false paperwork which claimed 159 false overtime shifts resulting in over $15,000 in undue overtime pay to the paraprofessional. The overpayments came to light after the SCHS Personnel Director informed Brittingham that the District had become aware of Brittingham’s romantic relationship with the Paraprofessional in 2024 and notified Brittingham that they would both be subjected to an investigation by the District, prompting Brittingham to disclose the payments.
Brittingham’s false overtime filings also resulted in overpayment of mileage reimbursements to the paraprofessional. While the paraprofessional was legitimately entitled to some reimbursement for his drive to the student’s home, the mileage reimbursement he received was measured from his home in Laurel rather than from Sussex Central High School, resulting in an overpayment of just over $600. Investigators believe Brittingham submitted reimbursement forms on behalf of the paraprofessional without his knowledge or consent.
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