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Two days after child care workers held an evening prayer vigil outside the Salinas office of the Monterey County Board of Education, Superintendent Nancy Kotowski (above) hired a retired judge to investigate claims that upper management in the county Head Start program have created a hostile work environment.

Kotowski first assured current and former employees of Head Start that she would launch an independent investigation at a March 21 board meeting; in a March 26 letter to 20 of those employees, Kotowski wrote, "We will begin our investigation of your allegations concerning our Head Start Program on Thursday, March 29."

Retired Presiding Justice of the California Court of Appeal, Appellate District and Monterey County Superior Court Nat Agliano will conduct the investigation, starting by meeting with the group tomorrow to hear their concerns about workplace intimidation and unsafe conditions.