CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Dr. Kate Acuff, the longest-tenured member of the Albemarle County School Board, responded Friday to comments made by a member of the Commonwealth Attorney’s office during a court appearance Thursday in which he cast aspersions on the school division.

Chief Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney W. Lawton Tufts told Circuit Court Judge Cheryl Higgins he had reason to “question the trustworthiness” of ACPS regarding its Title IX report on complaints against former staffer Michael Swiney, who faces 11 felony counts related to sex crimes against students at Hollymead Elementary School.

Acuff said Tufts’s comment was misguided and only further enflamed the sensitive situation surrounding Swiney’s arrest and prosecution.

“I think that was an unfortunate statement,” Acuff, in her fourth term on the board, told Cville Right Now on Friday. “I don’t believe he’s read the report as of yet. He just got it. I hope that those things will settle down, but it doesn’t help. It certainly doesn’t help.”

Tufts did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Cville Right Now on Friday.

Thursday, in Albemarle County Circuit Court, Swiney’s defense attorney pointed to the division’s investigation into possible Title IX violations by Swiney as an indication that his client’s guilt could be in doubt.

In the wake of Swiney’s arrest, ACPS Superintendent Dr. Matthew Haas and Hollymead Principal Joe McCauley have both resigned.

“The school board and the school division are under a microscope right now. And that’s fair,” Acuff said. “People are upset. They don’t know what they don’t know. And so, they assume the worst. And I’m hoping that it’s not the worst. It’s bad enough, whatever it is. And we all want to see what happened, what’s going to happen with Mr. Swiney, and how we can improve as a school division and keep our kids safe.”

During Thursday night’s meeting, Albemarle County Republican Committee Chair Phil Riese questioned whether any of the board members learned of the investigation into Swiney before his June 4 arrest.

Board members Allison Spillman and Jim Dillenbeck have said they first learned of the case against Swiney on June 3, the day before Swiney’s arrest.

Friday, Acuff said that former ACPS Superintendent Haas, who resigned at the board’s request in June, mentioned to her earlier than that, during a monthly meeting, that a division staffer had been placed on an administrative leave and that the police were involved in the situation, but she said Haas did not share any specifics.

Swiney was placed on administrative leave in January.

“My recollection is that he mentioned that someone, a staff member, had been put on administrative leave, I don’t even think he said which school, and that the police had been notified,” Acuff said. “I did not learn the substance of what was going on until all my colleagues learned it when the charges were brought.”