The executive members of the CedarBridge Academy board of governors have resigned after the Minister of Education fired its chairman and deputy chairman.

Minister Elvin James and board members remained tight-lipped last night over what sparked the action, which comes after a troubled summer of allegations and lawsuits.

In a press release, chairman of the board George Scott said the Minister had "effectively dis-appointed and terminated the services," of himself and deputy chairman Lovitta Foggo.

He said the Minister had done so acting under "statutory and ministerial authority," and attached a letter that Mr. James sent him on Wednesday.

In it, the Minister wrote: "It has been brought to my attention that you were first appointed to the CedarBridge Academy board of governors in 2004 and that at the end of 2009 you had served two consecutive terms on the board.

"Under the provisions of paragraph 2(3) of Schedule 2 of the Education Act 1996, a person may not be appointed as a member of a board of governors for more than two consecutive terms. I have received legal advice which confirms that, as Minister, I do not have discretion in this matter, and as a consequence, you should not have been reappointed to the board in 2010.

"I offer my apologies for this oversight and regret to inform you that, in order to comply with the provisions of the Act, I must declare your position on the board vacant with immediate effect."

Mr. James thanked him for his service and commitment.

According to Mr. Scott, who is chief organiser for the Bermuda Industrial Union: "Following these dis-appointments and termination, the remaining executive members of the CedarBridge Academy board of governors have tendered their resignations from the board of governors with immediate effect and notice to Minister Elvin James."

The press release did not inThe press release did not include any explanation as to why Ms Foggo's position was terminated. Her first term on the board was due to finish at the end of this year.

Ms Foggo, who is the Government's Chief Whip, declined to talk about the situation last night saying: "I'm under legal advisement not to comment about this at this point in time."

She said the Minister is due to hold a press conference on Monday, and a comment may be forthcoming after that.

When The Royal Gazette telephoned Mr. James, he declined to answer any questions, stating: "I'm in Trinidad right now at a meeting. I return this weekend so I will deal with it on Monday."–Mr. Scott did not return calls.

The news comes after defamatory letters were circulated in July, containing allegations about Mr. Scott, Ms Foggo and board member Linda Franks. Their lawyer, Phil Perinchief, complained to the Police.

CedarBridge also became entangled in court proceedings after information technology manager Bussie Ible was fired by the board on May 3 — hours after a court order was granted preventing the board from dismissing any of the school's managers. The board went on to fire two more managers but were forced to withdraw letters of termination to escape being in contempt of court.

The move angered support staff at the academy, who called for the expulsion of the board of governors in late May.

This newspaper endeavoured to contact the rest of the board after news of the mass resignation broke last night. The only ones who could be reached were Renee Jones and Mylan Simons, who declined to comment.–School principal Kalmar Richards did not respond to telephone and e-mail messages, and Mr. Perinchief said he could not comment until he's had chance to speak with his clients.