State probe of Lorain Schools needed

I am completing my 10th year as Lorain School Board member. During that time, I have been very concerned by activities that the public, and the media, are not aware of.

A few years ago, I made a request to the Ohio Inspector General asking for a complete investigation of the district.

My request was denied. Maybe now it won’t be.

The district, in my opinion, has a history of retaliation and total disregard for both Ohio laws and School Board policies. This started many years ago. I have spoken out about this, but to no avail. Perhaps what the administration, and School Board, are really worried about is that the new CEO and Lorain Academic Distress Commission will uncover things that have yet to see the light of day.

The district, superintendent and four board members are currently named as defendants in three lawsuits. I am suing the board, superintendent and treasurer for violations of Ohio Revised Code section 121.22. This is based on what I claim are illegal discussions in executive sessions.

The plaintiff in another case is a former employee who was fired despite the fact that a referee, appointed by the Ohio Department of Education, stated that termination was not appropriate. The board voted 4-1 to ignore the referee’s advise and terminated the employee. I was the “no” vote and, therefore, am not a defendant in this suit. This case is now in Ohio Appeals Court.

The plaintiff in the third lawsuit is an employee claiming he was the victim of a hate crime. The man, who is white and married to a black woman, is suing the district for claims of racial discrimination and retaliation. That case is in federal court. In his letter to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, his attorney, Avery Friedman, listed the names of individuals whose activities warranted discipline, but who were not terminated. My name was not listed in the letter but another board member was named. Do you think that Friedman would provide the federal authorities with names if he did not have the proof to back him up? I am not a defendant in that case either.

Those who know what is really going on in the School District are glad that the state is here. I am one of them.

I will close with a quote from Sir Walter Scott: “Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.” Jim Smith

Lorain