PITTSFIELD, Mass. — School Committee Chair William Cameron has provided additional details about the third-party investigation into alleged staff misconduct at Pittsfield High School.

On Monday, the committee authorized him to negotiate and execute a retainer agreement with law firm Bulkley Richardson Gelinas of Springfield for "independent and impartial investigations of certain Pittsfield Public School employees."

A second investigation by a different firm will target the district's internal processes.

Mid-week, Cameron forwarded iBerkshires answers to a list of queries from news blogger Dan Valenti of PlanetValenti.com "in order to ensure that I am providing the same explanation of what is taking place to all Pittsfield news outlets."

The month of December saw three PHS staff put on administrative leave, including a dean who was arrested on drug-trafficking charges. The district is also facing a civil lawsuit over inappropriate conduct by a former teacher and a staff member who left earlier in the year is under investigation at his current workplace.

Mary-Lou Rup, a retired Superior Court judge, will be the lead investigator at a rate of $275 per hour and paralegal services are $110 per hour. The investigation is anticipated to begin on or after Jan. 2 and be completed on or before March 31.

"The three-month length of the agreement is precautionary," Cameron wrote. "At this time we have no reason to believe that the investigation will take as long as the agreement permits."

He said the total cost is indeterminate at the outset.