Former school board exec charged with mail theft

A rare criminal charge has been laid against a high-ranking former executive who left the Thames Valley District School Board in the wake of a spending scandal and senior leadership exodus earlier this year.

Linda Nicholls, 57, is charged with one count of mail theft. She was previously the associate director at the school board before going on a leave of absence in September 2024 and leaving the board in March 2025.

Public salary disclosure documents show Nicholls made $250,000 in 2024 and 260,000 in 2023.

Police say that between July 22 and August 9 2024, a school board employee responsible for sorting incoming mail noticed several Canada Post envelopes with similar handwriting, each addressed to different staff members.

The employee reported this to Nicholls, who was their supervisor. Police say Nicholls instructed the employee to open one of the envelopes not addressed to them.

Inside, a letter contained anonymous allegations of misconduct by school board officials, including Nicholls, police allege. Nicholls told the employee to shred the opened envelope and hold on to the remaining letters, police say.

When school board staff returned to work after the summer break, Nicholls told the employee to distribute the letters to the intended recipients' mail slots, police said in a statement.

In October 2024, after Nicholls went on leave, an internal school board investigation revealed that one of the letters had been stolen during the summer and in July 2025, that theft was reported to London police.

Nicholls is scheduled to appear in London court in November.

School board officials say they can't comment about the charge. "We continue to move forward with a clear focus on accountability, public trust, and student achievement," someone from the communications team wrote in an emailed statement.

Nicholls was among a handful of top executives who left the school board in the wake of a spending scandal which saw senior leaders go on a retreat to Toronto, despite mounting financial problems at the board.

The scandal eventually forced the resignation of education director Mark Fisher and the province took over the school board.