Chairwoman Sandra Dungee Glenn directed department heads involved with the inquiry to ask district employees to disclose relationships they have with anyone connected to the kindergarten-through-12th-grade charter in Northeast Philadelphia, including founder Brien N. Gardiner and former chief executive officer Kevin M. O'Shea.

She took the action after the district began receiving e-mails from parents and others who said they feared the probe would be tainted by staffers' possible ties to the charter, its top administrators, and its board.

In particular, many who wrote raised questions about the ability of Inspector General John F. Downs, a retired Philadelphia police captain, to conduct an impartial inquiry when some of the charter's leaders and their relatives are police officers, including board president Rosemary DiLacqua, a parent who is a Philadelphia police detective. O'Shea, who was recently demoted from CEO and is on paid leave, is a former police officer.

Downs could not be reached for comment Friday.

District spokeswoman Barbara Farley said the review had uncovered no conflicts.

"We have thoroughly vetted all participants in the investigatory process for possible conflicts of interest," she said.

In her letter Monday to district personnel, Dungee Glenn asked for disclosure "in writing the name of any member of your staff who now has or in the past has had any business, personal, familial or other relationship with the Philadelphia Academy Charter School (PACS), members of the board of trustees of PACS, employees of PACS, any entity related to or contracting with PACS or with Brien Gardiner and Kevin O'Shea and their family members and business associates."

Staff members who reported relationships would be barred from participating in the investigation, she said.

Ten days ago, the commission decided to delay a vote on extending Philadelphia Academy's charter for five years to give the inspector general time to investigate allegations of fiscal mismanagement, nepotism, and conflicts of interest involving companies Gardiner created.

As part of the probe, district auditors have been at the school for more than a week reviewing documents related to its spending of public dollars. The school received $14 million in local, state and federal money during the 2006-07 academic year.

The charter board has suspended Gardiner and O'Shea with pay while it completes its own inquiry.

O'Shea and Gardiner have been earning more than most superintendents in the region. O'Shea, who has a high school diploma, was paid $206,137 as CEO last year. Gardiner, a consultant this year, collected $224,500 in 2005-06.

All told, Gardiner, O'Shea and their relatives took home $541,200 in salaries from charters and related companies in 2005-06. The next year, they collected at least $494,120.

Philadelphia Academy has 1,200 students in buildings at 11000 Roosevelt Blvd. and 1700 Tomlinson Rd.

The sweep of Dungee Glenn's query reflects the broad powers and political connections of those involved with Philadelphia Academy, district sources said.

Before founding the school in 1999, Gardiner was a popular principal of a district elementary school in the Northeast. He has long-standing, close relationships with district officials.

In addition to DiLacqua, board members are Joseph Resta, project executive overseeing the expansion of the Convention Center; Victoria Vendetti, a parent; Basil L. Merenda, commissioner of the Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs in the Pennsylvania Department of State; Preston D. Feden, an education professor at La Salle University; Connie Rodgers, a parent on the staff of State Sen. Michael J. Stack (D., Phila.); and Don Tollefson, Fox 29 sports director.