The Pittsburgh Public Schools Board for the first time Friday publicly addressed last week's State Ethics Commission report on Superintendent Dr. Anthony Hamlet.
The report cited Hamlet for multiple ethics violations involving travel reimbursements, payments for appearances and vacation time.
After meeting privately multiple times to discuss the report, the board released a statement Friday saying they are working to determine the next steps:
"The Pittsburgh Board of Public Education has read the Pennsylvania Ethics Commission Report following its release on the government agency’s website last Thursday, August 26. The entire Board takes this Report and its findings very seriously.
"Currently, we are addressing with the District’s Solicitor the various issues presented in the Report. Its findings are indeed concerning and a distraction for the District as we commence the new school year. In the coming weeks, we will consider any appropriate actions to be taken, including addressing any internal control issues and other matters raised in the Report.
"This is a serious matter, and the Board must give it the time it demands to assess the overall situation. The Board will have more to say at the conclusion of its evaluation."
Hamlet and his attorney have maintained the report cleared Hamlet of any intentional wrongdoing because it cited negligence.
At a back to school event Friday before the board released its statement, Hamlet told reporters he still feels the same.
"They didn't find any intentional wrongdoing," he said. "For me, it vindicates me already and justifies that I haven't done anything wrong."
When asked his thoughts on the school board meeting privately to discuss the report, Hamlet declined to comment and directed the question to school board President Sylvia Wilson or solicitor Ira Weiss.
The board's statement comes amid criticism of Hamlet from the State Ethics Commission, Mayor Bill Peduto and other City officials for his actions cited in the report.
Hamlet said Friday he isn't bothered by it.
"I don't pay any heed to what they say anyways because they have a biased opinion, in my opinion," he said. "They were already biased from the very start, even before I got here in Pittsburgh. I was a target on my back, so I don't focus on that. I focus on the children and the job I need to do for the children."
The ethics report was one of a number of hurdles for the district over the summer, which included a bus driver shortage and calendar changes.
Last month, the district announced it was 11,000 students were without a seat on a bus because of a driver shortage. It initially delayed the start of school to Sept. 8, then changed it a second time to Sept. 3.
On the first day of school Friday, the district said about 250 students fell into the seat gap.