Ex-operation chief's name, image, "call 911" warning, as pictured at 54 Meadow on Oct. 9. Earlier this month, a sign posted behind the front desk of the public school district’s central office building included the message ​“Call 911” alongside the name and picture of now-former New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) Chief Operating Officer (COO) Thomas Lamb.That sign’s now gone — but questions remain as to why it was put up in the first place.The Independent obtained a photo taken by a NHPS staffer that shows the security front desk of 54 Meadow St., an office building where the public school district rents space. The photo, pictured at the top of this story, was taken on Oct. 9.As shown in that image, taped to the desk was a piece of paper with a photograph of Lamb. The words ​“Lamb, Thomas” are printed at the top of the page. The words ​“Call 911” are written just below his name. (There appears to be additional text written to the right of ​“Call 911.” The Independent was not able to determine what that text says.)This week, NHPS spokesperson Justin Harmon confirmed that that photo of Lamb was indeed posted to 54 Meadow’s front security desk. The photo has subsequently been taken down. Harmon said that the school district had had Lamb’s photo posted to the security desk because Lamb was on paid administrative leave — for an investigation that began in late May and concluded four months later. District leaders never explained what the investigation was about, besides the superintendent stating that it was not in regards to last year’s $6 million cyberattack. Lamb resigned, in early October. Harmon later told the Independent that the allegations at the center of Lamb’s investigation were ​“not substantiated.”“When an employee is put on leave, they are not allowed to be in the workplace,” Harmon told the Independent this week. ​“There are staff in each of our buildings who are responsible to watch the main entrance. It would not be unusual to provide this person a photo if they did not know the person who was out on leave.“In this instance,” he continued, ​“the building staff member who normally sits at the lobby desk at 54 Meadow was on vacation. The substitute was given a picture of Mr. Lamb.”And why was ​“Call 911” written on that piece of paper alongside Lamb’s name and photo?Harmon said he doesn’t know. He said the district provided the front-desk staffer with Lamb’s photo and name, but someone else later wrote ​“Call 911” on that piece of paper.”I cannot explain the labeling, which was not on the photo when it was provided,” Harmon said. Did NHPS ever instruct front-desk staffers to call 911 if Lamb entered the building during his paid leave? “The front desk staff (who work for the building owners, not NHPS) were given no blanket instruction during the leave,” Harmon replied. Harmon added that he is not aware of Lamb having made any ​“uninvited visits” to the building throughout his leave.On Oct. 15, this reporter swung by 54 Meadow and asked a front-desk staffer if and why Lamb was not allowed in the building. The front-desk staffer declined to comment, and referred any questions to Harmon.When asked if Lamb is dangerous and if staff had been instructed to call 911 if they see him, the staffer replied, ​“He is not dangerous.”Lamb could not be reached for comment by the publication time of this article.Lamb officially resigned effective Oct. 3, though his resignation notice was not made public until a Board of Education personnel report published online roughly a week later. Harmon acknowledged that the front-desk sign with Lamb’s face and name may have been in place ​“longer than it needed to be.”Following the Oct. 15 Board of Education meeting, after hearing rumors that such a ​“Call 911” sign for Lamb was posted at 54 Meadow, this reporter asked NHPS Supt. Madeline Negrón why Lamb was not allowed in that building.The superintendent replied, ​“He’s no longer an employee of ours.” She also said she has no plans to discuss Lamb’s now-concluded investigation because it’s a ​“personnel matter.”