On 8/5/20, I met with Ms. Jodell Renn, JCPS Investigations, via Zoom to discuss our new “Teachable Moments” Facebook group and outlined the protocol we intended to follow in order to pass along screenshots and other pertinent information when educators were witnessed exhibiting culturally inappropriate or harmful behaviors, in the hopes that early interventions could be provided and harm to all parties could be mitigated. Little did I know what was about to happen.
While on the call, I expressed concern to Ms. Renn that critical information was not reaching Dr. Pollio’s desk, and requested she investigate a specific instance at Manual, where I felt employees may have covered up information in order to protect each other. To learn more about that story, click here.
On 8/7/20, just two days later, our first “Teachable Moment” opportunity, and as promised, I forwarded an unredacted version of it to Ms. Renn, along with the names of the teacher and her victims in the message, as well as the school where they all once taught, which was Maupin. To learn more about that story, click here.
On 8/28/20, I learned that no one has followed up with the victim who was the recipient of the racist, threatening message to check on her or to confirm the validity of our complaint, despite urgent warnings in our 8/7/20 email that this particular message has the potential to go viral when the public learns whose names are hidden in the redacted version.
To date, the district has shown NO interest in proactively addressing complaints of racist harm caused by this teacher, despite repeated evidence that she is a danger to her students at her new school, of whom, only 16% are white. For a district that claims racial equity is the ONLY thing, this disconnect is concerning.
JCPS could use a teachable moment of its own.
Prior to This
On January 14, 2020, I spoke at the board meeting. I not only reminded the board and Dr. Pollio about numerous racial bias incidents that have been taking place at Crums Lane, Maupin, Manual, as well as with maintenance workers, I provided them with an entire folder of evidence. I also reminded them of educators and parents who had experienced targeting in their schools for raising these concerns with their administration.
Final Steps
On 8/28/20, I initiated a fraud complaint on an incident I witnessed in 2017 involving Maupin and PTA. There are other witnesses who may take some coercing to come forward and speak up for racial justice since this incident has been gathering cobwebs in their memories for years. I do hope that a more sincere effort will be made to investigate than the fraudulent one that was completed on Ms. Katie Stoltz.
In April of 2021, the district passes https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/education/2021/04/16/jcps-louisville-employee-investigations-office-changes/7255265002/
