White racist superintendent Colleen Wilcox terrorized, humiliated and berated minority employees
NewsToBeRead
Report: Wilcox humiliated and berated her minority employees
By Sharon Noguchi and Dana Hull
Mercury News
Article Launched: 10/18/2007 01:36:00 AM PDT
An investigator concluded that Santa Clara County schools chief Colleen
Wilcox has a "heightened focus" on race, national origin and appearance and
so terrorized her employees with comments on those subjects and others that
many were "visibly afraid" or even tearful when discussing her behavior.
Wednesday's release of the investigator's report, delivered personally by
Wilcox to the Mercury News newsroom, ended weeks of speculation about its
contents and its role in Wilcox's forced resignation after 14 years as
Silicon Valley's top educator. Wilcox blasted its conclusions.
The report, which drew upon interviews with 17 current and former Santa
Clara County Office of Education employees, was heavily edited to protect
employee privacy. But throughout its 46 pages, investigator Patricia Elliot
painted a portrait of a superintendent who often berated and humiliated her
staff - asking Latino employees how they got to the United States,
criticizing employees' accents, and interrupting their public presentations
to complain about them.
Elliot, of Los Gatos, cited a series of often bizarre incidents of
inappropriate treatment - most of which Wilcox denied, though Elliot
concluded that many of her denials were not credible.
"None of these allegations on their own would be sufficient to conclude that
Dr. Wilcox makes judgments or takes actions based on an individual's race or
national origin," Elliot wrote. "However, taken together, along with the
evidence of Dr. Wilcox's treatment" of a high-level Latina employee, "these
facts could support a finding that Dr. Wilcox treats individuals differently
and with less respect and support because they are Hispanic."
Among the incidents:
. Wilcox made derogatory comments about obese staff members, saying "those
obese Head Start people are driving our health care costs higher" at an
August 2006 meeting. Most of the Head Start personnel are Latino. She also
reportedly told Latino food service workers in the cafeteria, "You guys love
eating that food; that's why we have such an obesity problem."
. Wilcox required board members to be fingerprinted after Anthony Muñoz was
elected to the county board of education in 2003. She reportedly told an
employee that she suspected Muñoz had a criminal record.
. Wilcox embarrassed and humiliated a new employee by asking him to perform
an ethnic dance from his native African country in front of other managers.
. Several years ago she pinched an employee on the buttocks and later
apologized by offering to allow him to pinch her buttocks.
The report also said that nearly all of the employees interviewed said they
were afraid of retaliation by Wilcox.
'Visibly afraid'
"Those who work in Dr. Wilcox's office and report directly to Dr. Wilcox
were visibly afraid when they were asked to participate in the
investigation," she said. "Several employees, both male and female, had
tears in their eyes when they spoke about Dr. Wilcox's treatments of
employees."
Earlier this month, the board effectively banned Wilcox from the county
office except for on certain days, and limited her contact to nine people
who directly report to her.
Wilcox will step down as superintendent Nov. 1, but her final days have been
marred by controversy over the report and the prolonged wrangling to get it
released. Even a farewell cake that had been ordered as a way of saying
goodbye to Wilcox was canceled by the board, which was incensed over
Wilcox's efforts to insert herself into the distribution of the report.
Wednesday evening's board meeting was Wilcox's last as superintendent. Two
members of the public and three board members thanked her for her service
and praised accomplishments during her tenure, from the new community
partnerships to the very county board offices they were sitting in. "You
leave a very large and significant legacy," said trustee Leon F. Beauchman.
The investigation against Wilcox was launched after a high-level Latina
employee complained in February that Wilcox had harassed her for five years.
Investigator Elliot handed her report to the board's attorney, who briefed
the seven trustees on its contents in June. But until Oct. 3, the board
steadfastly refused to formally receive the report, thus blocking public
access to it. Wilcox, through her attorney, has maintained that the report
should be confidential, but ultimately agreed to redact the report and
release it.
Wilcox responds
Wilcox took issue with the report Wednesday, issuing a two-page statement
that questioned the investigator and her methods.
"I am also dismayed by the quality of the report itself," Wilcox wrote. "It
was ultimately my responsibility to ensure that an impartial, professional
report was obtained. That was not done.
"Any suggestion that I engaged in any act of discrimination on the basis of
ethnicity or sexual preference, or any other basis, is entirely and
demonstrably false," Wilcox wrote.
Before releasing the report, Wilcox assigned two of her deputies to read a
version that includes names of witnesses and complainants - and to write a
rebuttal. The two, Porter Sexton and Gina Liebig, issued a critique that
took issue with both findings and methodology. They said there were 16
misstatements of fact, 11 insertions of opinion, 26 misrepresentations of
others' opinions and six instances of faulty methodology.
In her response, Wilcox harshly criticized the county office's human
resources department, which she said improperly became a partisan in the
investigation and widened the probe beyond its original scope.
But Gary Rummelhoff, president of the Santa Clara County School Board,
forcefully defended the handling of the investigation, which was launched by
Assistant Superintendent Laura Kidwiler.
"Laura has been absolutely perfect through this whole thing," Rummelhoff
said.
During the spring, Wilcox attempted through her attorney to contain the
investigation to the original employee complaint. However, when it became
clear that problems extended beyond Wilcox's treatment of one manager, the
board insisted that Elliot look into other allegations, according to
Rummelhoff.
Experts say disclosing contents of a sensitive personnel matter to people
outside the investigation, as Wilcox did in letting Sexton and Liebig read
the unredacted report, is highly unusual. And so is writing a line-by-line
response.
"I've never seen anything like that before," said Michael Robbins, a
Southern California attorney who has conducted more than 200 workplace
investigations. He also said it is common for investigators to broaden their
focus as their research evolves.
"If allegations being raised are substantially similar to what you are
investigating, you go investigate them," he said.
One of the more bizarre allegations in the report said that after the
election of Anthony Muñoz to the county board of education in 2003, Wilcox
wanted all board members to be fingerprinted because she suspected Muñoz had
been in trouble with the law.
Since 2003, all newly elected board members have been asked to provide
fingerprints, but Wilcox has only asked to see the fingerprint report on
Muñoz. The Mercury News was unable to reach Muñoz for comment.
Kunal
"NewsToBeRead" <NewsTo...@UncleSam.com> wrote in message
news:13hf7up...@news.supernews.com...
Nothing in 50,000 racist hate crimes in USA. Superior American congress
almost every year passes judgement and criticises about caste discrimination
in India. He he he he he he please all praise for my sarcasm skills and
kills I sink I am developed sarcasm skills like my true very good internet
friends Andrew Dunford and geniuis Rodney Ulyate.
I am rollong over the floor fell from my bed and laughing off now he he he
he he he he I will tell my english teacher bush in next class about my great
achievement he he he he he
Kunal
"NewsToBeRead" <NewsTo...@UncleSam.com> wrote in message
news:13hf7up...@news.supernews.com...
http://www.alternet.org/columnists/story/21711/
Wog George
"Kunal" <Kunal9...@volcanomail.com> wrote in message
news:13hg91c...@news.supernews.com...
>
> "NewsToBeRead" <NewsTo...@UncleSam.com> wrote in message
> news:13hf7up...@news.supernews.com...
>
<snip lack of content>
If you're that lonely that one of your socks has to reply to one of your
other socks (and multiple times, might I add), perhaps you should join a
group for lonely men seeking other lonely men.
Is this the predominant reason why "League" featured in your previous
incarnation?
--
George
"In the outside world I am a simple geologist, but in here I am Falcor,
Defender of the Alliance." - Randy Marsh - 4 October 2006
Kunal
"Wog George" <wog-NotThi...@amd-p.com> wrote in message
news:VE2Si.2697$3h....@fe119.usenetserver.com...
My dearest internet friend Woggy Doggy,
Nothing in 50,000 racist hate crimes in USA. Superior American congress
almost every year passes judgement and criticises about caste discrimination
in India. He he he he he he please all praise for my sarcasm skills and
kills I sink I am developed sarcasm skills like my true very good internet
friends Andrew Dunford and geniuis Rodney Ulyate.
I am rollong over the floor fell from my bed and laughing off now he he he
he he he he I will tell my english teacher bush in next class about my great
achievement he he he he he
I have three pairses of white socks and two pairses of black socks but I no
own brown socks.
I felted guilty of rasicm (thanks to my another internet friend will_s
dearest teaching me how to
spell rasicm he he he) so I gone to market today and bought two pairses of
brown socks.
Please try understanding I am practising rhyme words due to my english
teacher bush gave assignment to me. Please very much do not abuze me for
praising you to be a dog woggy doggy. You are a special very intellizent
person to take bath in sperm avaliable in australian kangaroos and other
animals mixture of sperms in australia.
Congratulations to Australians for losing to India in mumbai 20/20 match.
India took away monkeys from Symonds no more worries of monkey calling
noises. he he he he he please laugh all at my jokes my all internet friends
Wog George
>
>
> I am rollong over the floor fell from my bed...
>
<snip>
>
>
It must be a really big bed. After all, it has to accommodate Benjamin
Franklin, CricBestSport, CricketLeague, David Singh, Education, Ian Thorpe,
IVAR, MasterOfNone, NewsToBeRead, Sampath, WorldChief and countless others
as well as yourself. I hope you're all comfy.
--
George
"If you lose the big game, that little boy is gonna die faster than Steve
Irwin in a tank full of stingrays" - Cancer Doctor - 14 November 2006
Kunal
My dearest internet friend Woggy Doggy,
I are not a faggot like you fag george (thanks to different person coined
that cute name on you) to have so many persons. I am a small boy, please do
not sexually abuze me Wog George I am like your underage son I was
requesting you to not sexually abuse me like you did to other boys. You are
such a good intellizent friend of me. I will not report you to cops about
your sexual abuse of me and other young boys.
Where can I hide from pedophiles like you Wog George. Police are also sexual
abusing kids with thier enormaous power where can sexuall abused kids can
hide from pedophiles like you Wog George.
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.sport.cricket/msg/6ade217e8328da36
CricBestSport
Fag George,
You missed a few more of my personas. CricBestSport is same as
AndrewDunford, Rats, IVAR, MikeHolmans, IVAR, dechuka, Sampath, will_s,
IanThorpe, MasterofNone, alvey, ramapriya, gurlate, BharatRao and Phil.
These same personas abuse each other to confuse people.
Do read the whole column Fag George. And stop sexually abusing deranged
little kids Kunal and others. Interpol is actively looking for pedophiles
like you Wog George.
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.sport.cricket/msg/6ade217e8328da36
Wog George
"CricBestSport" <CricBe...@cricket.com> wrote in message
news:13hlhkd...@news.supernews.com...
>
> Do read the whole column Fag George. And stop sexually abusing deranged
> little kids Kunal and others. Interpol is actively looking for pedophiles
> like you Wog George.
>
>
exclusively for adult human females", then Interpol will no doubt find me
before too long.
--
George
"Dolphins, Eskimos, who cares?! It's all a bunch of tree hugging hippie
crap!" - Eric Cartman - 20 August 1997
CricBestSport
Fag George,
Thats what all pedophiles like you say in public while sexually abusing kids
secretly.
You missed a few more of my personas. CricBestSport is same as
AndrewDunford, Rats, IVAR, MikeHolmans, dechuka, Sampath, will_s,
IanThorpe, MasterofNone, alvey, ramapriya, gurlate, BharatRao and Phil.
These same personas abuse each other to confuse people.
Do read the whole column Fag George. And stop sexually abusing deranged
little kids Kunal and others. Interpol is actively looking for pedophiles
like you Wog George.
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.sport.cricket/msg/6ade217e8328da36
Kunal
My dearest friend Wog George abused me sexually abused me many very many
times. Where can I write complaint with cops for earning justice if cops are
sexually abusing little kids like me. Wog George please stop sexually
abusing me I did not tell any internet person.