A state audit shows a former middle school secretary in southeast Iowa was responsible for more than $5,000 in improper credits to student lunch accounts.
Dawn Dietzenbach resigned from her position with Mount Pleasant Schools in October of last year. State Auditor Mary Mosiman says the district’s food service administrator had sent an e-mail to Dietzenbach and others about errors on student lunch accounts.
“Shortly thereafter, the food service administrator observed multiple, unusual transactions between student lunch accounts initiated by Ms. Dietzenbach. So, the superintendent was notified and the district notified our office,” Mosiman said. The audit found nearly $3,000 in improper transfers and over $2,000 in adjustments to student lunch accounts.
“Ms. Dietzenbach was posting these transactions to a specific student’s lunch account, to her children’s lunch accounts, and to various other students,” Mosiman said. For now, Dietzenbach has not been charged with any crime. She submitted a letter of resignation shortly after she was placed on administrative leave.
“She also sent a letter saying that it was never her intent to keep the funds that were put into her children’s accounts. It was always her intent to distribute it back to the kids who needed assistance,” Mosiman said. “And she did include a personal check for $300 and she asked that the funds be used for that purpose.”
The state auditor’s report has been filed with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the Henry County Attorney’s Office, and the Iowa Attorney General’s Office.