nothin Principal Placed On Leave Pending Probe | New Haven Independent

Principal Placed On Leave Pending Probe

Emily Hays Pre-Pandemic File Photo

Board member Tamiko Jackson-McArthur: This is not the path to healing.

The assistant principal has been running Brennan Rogers School this week after the principal was based on leave pending an investigation into an alleged use of a racial slur.

According to multiple people familiar with the incident, Principal Laura Roblee was placed on leave as of Monday at the West Rock pre-K‑8 school campus after two teachers reported she had used the slur in a conversation a few weeks ago.

The context the alleged slur is not clear, nor other circumstances about the episode.

New Haven Public Schools Superintendent Iline Tracey refused to confirm, deny or talk about the incident when contacted Thursday by the Independent. She said she will not discuss a personnel matter.”

Tracey also has not discussed the situation with Board of Education members — which raised hackles with board members when they subsequently learned of the leave.

The administration has a duty to not only protect their employee’s privacy, but to acknowledge and support the community at large, as this is triggering and traumatic,” said Board of Education member Tamiko Jackson-McArthur.

If this rumor is true, as a board member, I am appalled that a school leader would commit this offense, and also offended that the community has not been made aware of this. Keeping racism behind a closed door does nothing. It must be snuffed out and properly dealt with. Protecting the offender does nothing for healing the wounds.”

Board member Darnell Goldson said he learned the news through unofficial” sources in the school system and still hasn’t received an official account from Tracey or her administration. He criticized the lack of transparency, which he said leads to the spreading of rumors and speculation in the community. Board members, especially with something that serious, should be informed. We shouldn’t be hearing this from someone other than the superintendent. There are parents who know about it.”

Update: Tracey responded to the transparency complaints in an email message Friday to board members. She wrote: Please note that I am not at liberty to share personnel matters that would becloud the minds of Board members who may eventually be involved in any process towards the end. It remains a personnel matter. I have to abide by labor laws as the superintendent of the district.”

Reached by cell phone, Roblee declined to comment. She referred a reporter to School Administrators Association of New Haven President Sequella H. Coleman. Coleman too declined comment on a personnel matter.”

One person in the school system with direct knowledge of the case and with the school said Roblee has worked hard in her job. I was surprised to learn about” the allegation, this person said. Laura is very sensitive to our kids. She goes the extra mile. She doesn’t strike me as someone who goes around storming the U.S. Capitol with a racist mob. We should all withhold judgment until the investigation is complete.”

Board member Jackson-McArthur connected the silence about this incident to a different incident that took place at the March 8 board meeting, also involving the alleged use of a slur.

The blind eye approach that has been seen recently in our board meetings, when an administrator used an indigenous slur, needs to stop,” Jackson-McArthur said.

Jackson-McArthur was the first to point out at the March 8 meeting that district Chief Financial Officer Phillip Penn had used the phrase off the reservation.” The phrase originated within other hateful rhetoric in the 19th century as a way to differentiate Native Americans who were peaceable” under U.S. government control and those who were not.

After a few board members agreed with Jackson-McArthur, Penn apologized for using the phrase in ignorance and promised to accept any consequences for his actions. No other administrators commented.

The New Haven Board of Education adopted a formal policy on race and equity in the fall and have trained some employees in the subject this spring. Jackson-McArthur guided the policy, which covers everything from curricula to school contractors, to approval.

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