One of the offices in the Worcester County Board of Education building in Newark was the target of a search and seizure warrant last month, school board attorney Heather Stansbury confirmed this week.
Stansbury said the warrant was executed on Dec. 13, the same day investigators converged on the West Ocean City home of Denise Shorts, Worcester County Public Schools’ chief academic officer for grades pre-kindergarten to eighth grade.
Stansbury did not say which school system office was involved in the search and seizure exercise, or what the warrant entailed.
“I can confirm that a search and seizure warrant was executed on a specific office within the central office of WCPS on Saturday December 13, 2025, by state law enforcement authorities,” she said in a statement Monday. “WCPS cooperates fully.”
Last month, witnesses reported seeing law enforcement personnel entering and exiting Shorts’ home in the Oyster Harbor community on the same day.
Carrie Sterrs, the school system’s coordinator of public relations and special programs, said that the board of education could not comment on personnel matters, but is aware of an active investigation involving a school system employee.
“The employee is currently on administrative leave,” Sterrs said at the time, without providing further details, including the employee’s identity.
What a shame to see this in our community. I don’t know anyone involved in this, and my own children left the nest years ago. I hope it turns out to be a misunderstanding, but where there is smoke, there’s fire.