By Chris Yow
Editor
TRUSSVILLE — As reported last week by The Tribune, an investigation by the United States Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has begun within Trussville City Schools. Jim Bradshaw, a spokesperson for the Department of Education, confirmed an investigation was launched Oct. 29, although the office has declined to give any specifics on their investigation. A copy of an alleged complaint possibly filed with that same office surfaced just before the investigation began.
The individual whose name appeared at the top of the document told The Tribune that “it was erroneous information that was posted” and “it was not his information.” The complaint forwarded to the school, however, was very similar. The Tribune issued Freedom of Information Act request to Trussville City Schools on Oct. 22 with a deadline of seven days from that date, but it was not received and no time table was given as to when the information would be released.
Embattled Hewitt-Trussville teacher and basketball coach Jim Sanderson was placed on leave from the program more than a month ago as an investigation into alleged actions concerning the basketball team was conducted. The investigation has been ongoing for a lengthy amount of time with no definitive results.
The alleged complaint reads that it was filed to “further shed light on Trussville City Schools arrogance and vindictiveness.” It goes on to allege the school system has “continued their pattern of ignoring minority persons of this city and school system. They have fired / harassed / disrespected / bullied those that have had the audacity to challenge them.” The alleged complaint then cited an Office of Civil Rights complaint previously filed, and named a dozen witnesses to “multiple situations of the Trussville City Schools/Board.”
The alleged complaint lists a number of incidents, but gives no specific dates or times when they may have occurred. Some of those instances include: “Multiple incidents where students have marked racist language into the paint of restrooms of the schools. Many of these incidents had the initials KKK scratched into the paint of the objects.”
Additionally, “Situations where teachers / bus drivers would ignore complaints of racism / bullying from employees as well as students. This includes making black students sit in the back of the school bus.” Another alleged incident, “African American students have been called slurs such as ‘monkey’ consistently on the Trussville City School buses.”
Efforts to reach Superintendent Dr. Pattie Neill to confirm or deny these allegations were unsuccessful.
A dozen people were listed in the alleged complaint as witnesses to an ongoing problem in the Trussville City Schools system concerning what the alleged complaint called a “pattern of ignoring minority persons of this city and school system.” It then read, “They have fired/harassed/disrespected/bullied those that have had the audacity to challenge them.”
Hewitt-Trussville volleyball coach Katie Riggins was named as witness, but when reached by The Tribune, Riggins said she never experienced bullying by the school system.
“I haven’t experienced bullying,” Riggins said. “I spoke in confidence with our prior Superintendent my concern, and she understood why I felt the way I felt. I wouldn’t say I experienced bullying.”
Another witness, Davella Malone, whom the document listed as a “parent with complaints,” said she was unsure why she would have been included on such a list.
“I expressed concern about the lack of minority administration, teachers, individuals working in the system. I expressed that also with Dr. Eddie Hill from the state department of education,” Malone said.
In fact, Malone went on to say she felt the injustice was corrected, and was unaware of any complaint she had with the system.
”If I had a complaint, I don’t know what it is. I don’t consider what I expressed with an individual a complaint, I considered that a concern. Honestly, to put my name on something like (the document) would not be a discredit to anybody. It would be I had a concern or an issue I expressed, and it was rectified immediately,” Malone said.
Former Hewitt-Trussville head basketball coach Zane Arnold.
file photo
Former Hewitt-Trussville head basketball coach Zane Arnold also spoke about his experience in the school system. Arnold said he noticed the lack of minority teachers and staff in the school, but he also said he never felt bullied or threatened by anyone in the system because of his race.
“When I was there, I would skim through (a directory), and I didn’t see many minority teachers. I know there were some there, but I didn’t see many,” he said. “I’ve never experienced that from the administration side. When your family comes to talk to you about what they hear some parents say (among spectators), it’s a tough situation.”
Arnold did say, however, he had been contacted previously by a former employee who wanted him to share his feelings, but he didn’t have anything to say.
“I didn’t really have anything to say about the racism part because I really didn’t witness that,” he said.
One former parent who had a complaint with the school system that the Office for Civil Rights was involved with and was resolved. That parent confirmed the situation was, in their opinion, race-motivated. Another person listed, said they experienced discrimination, but would not divulge any details. A third person reached said they didn’t feel the situation they were in was racial, but it could be interpreted that way All three of these individuals asked their names not be mentioned.
As far as Sanderson’s situation is concerned, those witnesses were not listed to present any evidence of wrongdoing in his case, but to speak to an ongoing problem within the school system.
Sanderson has earned the respect of many, including opposing coaches and a number of his current players and their parents.
Donald Jackson, Sanderson’s attorney, said in The Tribune’s report last week the claims in the complaint were false.
“The bottom line is, these allegations are baseless,” Jackson said. “They’re entirely without merit. This is a select group of African-American parents who are engaging in the worst form of reverse racial discrimination that I think I’ve ever seen in a public school environment.
“I’m an African-American attorney and my entire practice is sports based,” Jackson said. “I’m the last person that would condone racial discrimination of any type.”
Dannton Jackson photo courtesy hbcubuzz.com
Dannton Jackson, head basketball coach at Xavier (La.) University, coached against Sanderson for many years and had nothing but high praise for him.
“He’s a terrific coach,” Jackson said. “When I first got this job, I called him and asked him for advice. He’s disciplined, he believes in self-improvement, collaboration, teamwork. He’s one of the most detailed guys that I know.”
Jackson, who has is tied with legendary LSU coach Dale Brown for the most wins in Louisiana college basketball history, said his admiration for Sanderson is much more than basketball.
“I have a lot of admiration for him. If I had a son, it’d be an honor for him to play for (Sanderson) because I know that my son would be successful,” he said.
One parent, James Dixon, during the meeting where 16 people spoke to the Trussville Board of Education members, knew allowing his son to participate in basketball under Sanderson’s lead was doing his son a favor.
“First time I met Jim Sanderson was when he spoke to parents last spring. I made the statement, ‘Well, this is going to be interesting.’ He came to shake things up, and he did. It was tough for the kids; they worked harder than they had done in the past, and you could see it in the way they were coming together,” he said. “I went and met him; looked him in the eye. As I stood there with my son, he teared up speaking praise over my son and his character. I began to see a pattern, that though this man was tough — he loved the boys. I’m raising my son not to be a guy, I’m raising him to be a man. These young men have had to sacrifice their time and efforts. I’m raising my young man to respect authority. Scripture tells me and tell him to respect authority whether it is worthy or not. Best I can tell and from what I have seen this man is worthy of respect. I simply ask for your help as I raise my son to respect authority.”
Colin Sears
Former Auburn University and Dallas Cowboys football player Colin Sears also spoke in support of Sanderson at the board meeting.
“I played with coaches that were labeled as tough and demanding my entire career,” he said. “There were a lot of times throughout my career that I really didn’t understand what they were trying to teach me. As I grew up, and as I became a husband and as I became a father, I started to take note of all that stuff. And I made sure I reached out to every one of those coaches, and I told them ‘Thank you,’ for helping me to become a man.”
The investigation into Sanderson as is the Office for Civil Rights investigation.
File photo
