51黑料

Frank Williams sued the Ferguson-Florissant School District on Monday, claiming he was unjustly removed from his post as principal in the wake of several student fights in early February. Multiple fights in one day caused the building to be put under 鈥減recautionary lockdown鈥� and ended with one student鈥檚 arrest and in-person classes being canceled the next day.

The lawsuit called his subsequent administrative leave and demotion to assistant middle school principal 鈥渉ighly unusual without any type of misconduct occurring first鈥� and claimed it was retaliation after Williams refused a sexual advance by Joseph Davis, the district鈥檚 superintendent.

鈥淎 community meeting was held demanding answers as to why (Williams) was no longer principal, but no answers were supplied by鈥� the district, the lawsuit said.

Williams, who is now an assistant director for the district鈥檚 Mark Twain Restoration & Re-Entry Center, declined to talk about the lawsuit Tuesday when reached by a reporter.

The district in a statement denied聽the allegations and said it looks forward to the defending itself in court.聽

"Although the Board of Education is eager to provide a more detailed response to these allegations, it is limited in doing so at this time because it involves both personnel and legal matters," said spokesperson Onye Hollomon. "The Board can say that it takes any allegations of this nature seriously and works to ensure the allegations are addressed in a timely and appropriate manner."

Davis could not be reached for comment.

The lawsuit says Williams was hired in July 2018 as principal of Cross Keys Middle School, and about a year later, he became principal of McCluer North High School.

He earned principal of the year honors for the 2020-21 school year and also achieved one of the highest annual performance ratings in north 51黑料 County for the 2022-23 school year, the lawsuit says.

Williams said the sexual harassment began when Davis invited him to dinner in 2021 and Davis introduced him to someone unaffiliated with the district, then went on to discuss 鈥渢his person鈥檚 marital issues and infidelity in a sexually explicit way,鈥� the lawsuit said.

Williams says Davis asked him to mentor this person.

鈥淭he use of the word 鈥榤entor鈥� was charged with sexual innuendo,鈥� Williams鈥� suit says. 鈥淒r. Davis explicitly told plaintiff, 鈥楧on鈥檛 (expletive) me, Frank.鈥欌��

Later that year, the lawsuit said the two men once again went to dinner, this time to discuss Williams鈥� future with the district.

During that encounter, Williams says the superintendent told him to stay 鈥渃lose鈥� to him and let Davis 鈥渕entor鈥� him, 鈥渦sing the same sexual innuendo as before.鈥�

The sexual advance that led to his demotion, the suit says, happened during a meeting March 8, 2023, with Williams, Davis and an education consultant.

Davis was discussing potential changes to McCluer North that 鈥渃ould significantly impact the operational dynamics鈥� when Davis touched William鈥檚 thigh and the principal had to remove Davis鈥� hand, the lawsuit says.

A few months later, Williams interviewed to be the district鈥檚 assistant superintendent but did not get the job.

Then, despite his high annual performance rating, the lawsuit says Davis expressed concerns about Williams鈥� school and told the principal to draft a 鈥渞eset鈥� plan in December 2023.

After the winter break, at least three student fights broke out.

At a 10 p.m. meeting on the day of one of the fights, Davis told Williams he was being put on administrative leave.

The next morning, the lawsuit says Davis told the school鈥檚 staff that Williams was no longer the principal.

Kurtis Downing was appointed as interim principal of McCluer North for the remainder of the school year, according to a message sent to the school鈥檚 community in February.

Two weeks later, Williams was told he was being 鈥渄emoted鈥� to a middle school assistant principal for the remainder of the year 鈥渇or his own mental health,鈥� the lawsuit says.

Williams, who is Black, sued the district for race discrimination, sexual harassment and retaliation. He鈥檚 asking for more than $25,000 in damages.

The Ferguson-Florissant School District oversees the education of almost 10,000 students in 11 municipalities, including Ferguson, Florissant, Kinloch and Berkeley.