A sock, hung by a noose and inscribed with ‘KKK,? hung over the chair of a Clarkston Community Schools custodian when he entered the break room at one of the district’s elementary schools this past summer.
The incident, which occurred about a month ago, was witnessed by a number of other custodians working together in the summertime team-cleaning process.
That’s the story from a school employee who called The Clarkston News last week, concerned the district did not respond in a timely matter.
‘I think the story should be exposed,? said the employee, who asked to remain unnamed for fear of retribution. ‘For a week the individual in charge of the building and grounds department chose to do nothing about this, hoping it would just go away. The victim finally made a phone call and said ‘hey what are we going to do about this???
The victim, the source said, is an African American custodian, employed with the district for about 20 years, while the two alleged perpetrators are white.
‘One of the individuals clearly admitted guilt as soon as he was asked about it,? the source said. ‘It’s a sad state of affairs that (the supervisor) would even dream it was going to go away. The people who committed this offense interact daily with our children.?
The alleged actions of the two individuals is not typical of the district’s custodial staff, many of whom ‘have the children in their hearts, have children who go to the schools and are active in the community,? the source explained.
While school officials confirmed the incident did occur as described, spokeswoman Anita Banach said facts presented were somewhat distorted.
‘The moment anything was reported to a supervisor or the district, an immediate investigation occurred,? said Banach, communications director. ‘Our district has a very strong stance on harassment of any sort between any employees or any students, and we take those types of accusations seriously.?
After the investigation, she said, ‘appropriate? measures were administered.
‘We always work to the betterment of the environment for our staff and students,? Banach said. ‘We want everyone to feel safe, secure and welcome in our school district.?
Oftentimes, she said, conflicts require additional training or a change in job location for employees, while students may be granted a change in schedule.
No employees were terminated over the incident this summer, she said.
‘All parties have agreed to the disciplinary action,? Banach said, declining to confirm names of the employees.
‘As for paid or unpaid leave, that’s a personnel issue and we wouldn’t comment on that. We really do take the privacy of our employees to heart and issues like that would be worked out within the union and the personnel department.?
Clarkston Custodial Association spokesman Karl Bell said the district’s custodial union had minimal involvement in resolution of the situation.
‘It’s not our job to get involved in the investigation; that’s the district’s job as the employer,? said Bell. ‘We were made aware of the situation and had some dialogue with the district, but I would caution everyone to tread very carefully because sometimes things like this get blown way out of proportion and become something they’re not.?
Bell declined further comment.
Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Independence Township substation commander Lt. Dale LaBair said no reports were filed with his office regarding the incident, but did say he would take such allegations seriously.
‘It sounds like a classic violation of title seven,? he said, referring to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
‘That’s the granddaddy of civil rights law, and there are parallel state statues that prohibit discrimination based on race.?
LaBair said such a matter would likely be classified as ethnic intimidation if brought to the sheriff’s office, and turned over to the detective bureau for investigation and possible charges against the perpetrators.
In such a case, he said, the workplace establishment could also be held legally responsible.
‘It is the employer’s obligation to take action,? he said. ‘If I’m an employer and any of my supervisors knows about (an incident of ethnic intimidation) the entire establishment is considered to be liable for it.?
LaBair said he recently dealt with a similar but unrelated incident in his Independence Township jurisdiction.
‘I said, ‘Let me explain in terms you understand,?? he recalled telling the employer. ‘Do you know how much this is going to cost you if this person gets an attorney??