Flash player is required to view weather conditions. Download

site web  

Two Lakota employees have resigned after an investigation revealed they made racial remarks about other staff members, according to reports.

The Lakota Local School District Board of Education approved the resignations Monday, May 11 of white employees Treva Whitlock, director of child nutrition and her assistant Linda Alfrey. Both had been on paid administrative leave since late March. Whitlock declined to comment and Alfrey could not be reached. On March 12, an employee stated that Alfrey turned to Whitlock and said an administrator got her position because of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. According to the report, Whitlock covered her ears and said nothing in response. Another employee said two days prior to that she heard Whitlock hang up the phone and say "Hey you guys, we need to be more diverse. I am going to bring in some shoe polish and paint Kathy and Kim's face(s)."

Several other times, according to the report, both women added the words "who isn't" after saying the last name of a black employee with the last name White.

Lakota Support Staff Association President Mark Chance said after the incident was brought to his attention, he took the complaints to Superintendent Mike Taylor.

"What happened, we can't have that at Lakota," he said. "Any type of discrimination whatsoever is just not acceptable. I think the board did a great job. I think they made the right call. We'll just move forward from here on out."

Gary Hines, president of the local NAACP in Lebanon, Hamilton, Fairfield, West Chester Twp. and Mason praised the employees for coming forward.

"Those employees who came forward should be saluted as community heroes," he said.

He isn't happy, though, about the district's response.

"It's like, what has to happen for this community to understand that they have some serious issues out here and they need to include the NAACP to help them? I just believe in zero tolerance. It sends a different message when they fire than when they are allowed to resign."

As to the comment about the quality of black employees, Hines said there should be no doubt of abilities.

"What I think is the minority people are better qualified than their white counterparts that are hired there," he said. "It's always been we have to be twice as qualified. The issue is there are people who don't want them here."

Vote for this story!