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Peoria schools to hold Nov. 14 public forum with superintendent finalists

The Peoria Unified School District has announced three finalists to be its next superintendent.

The person chosen will run a district that faces a lawsuit by one of its governing board members for the right to quote biblical scripture at public meetings.

The top three candidates vying for the superintendent job currently work as school district leaders in Texas, Colorado and Washington.

Peoria officials plan to hold a public forum on Tuesday evening so people can learn more about each finalist and give feedback.

Contract negotiations could start as early as Nov. 29, which is days after the district’s deadline to respond to a federal lawsuit brought by governing board member Heather Rooks.

Rooks has said she was told to not quote Bible verses at public meetings. She alleges that Peoria has violated her First Amendment rights on religion and free speech.

Matthew Casey has won Edward R. Murrow awards for hard news and sports reporting since he joined KJZZ as a senior field correspondent in 2015.