The superintendent of the Romulus Community Schools filed a harassment and racial discrimination lawsuit against the district and school board, saying he was placed on indefinite leave and replaced with a less qualified person.
Benjamin Edmondson, who is Black, filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Michigan, alleging a "sustained campaign of harassment" against him since he joined the Romulus Community School District as the superintendent in August 2020. He is claiming violations of the Michigan Whistleblower Protection Act and the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act.
Edmondson said he was placed on administrative leave without notice "or any opportunity to be heard just days after he 'blew the whistle' and reported his concerns about a potential violation of the Michigan Open Meetings Act."
The district, Edmondson's suit alleges, has been plagued with problems when he began his tenure. "Almost immediately upon the beginning of Dr. Edmondson’s employment, several members of the Romulus Community School District Board of Education, primarily the individually named defendants, began to create problems for Dr. Edmondson ..."
The lawsuit names board members Debi Pyles, Judy Kennard, Susan Evitts and Nichole German as defendants.
The board members began "pushing back on decisions within his discretion as superintendent, interfering with his ability to perform his job and improve the school district, and causing multiple District administrators...
By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet As part of an intensified campaign against the spread of falsehoods that continue to undermine the integrity of the government and pose a threat to national security, PCO...