The fate of Tanner High School Principal Louis Gordon, who has been at the center of a fiery debate since he was placed on paid administrate leave in March, will be announced at the June 5 board meeting.

The district suspended Gordon after a group of Tanner employees filed a series of complaints against him through the Limestone County Education Association.

Superintendent of Limestone County Schools Dr. Tom Sisk said 11 personnel items regarding principals and assistant principals would be included in the meeting, along with a recommendation regarding Gordon’s future with the system.

The Limestone County NAACP called a conference early Thursday to voice their continued support for the embattled principal, calling on the board and Sisk to reinstate Gordon.

Wilbert Woodruff, president of the Limestone County NAACP, warned school leaders the organization was “putting them on notice.”

“We want them to do what is right in the matter,” he said. “First of all, we want him to keep his job, even if it was at another high school (within the LCS system). Though we would prefer him to stay at Tanner and continue to bring those students to the next level like he was.”

Woodruff and Roy Rugless, the chairman of the Resolution and Community Engagement Task Force for Tanner High School, confirm they have both filed a petition to speak to the school board at the next meeting in support of Gordon.

School officials have remained tight-lipped throughout the investigation into Gordon’s conduct, frustrating parties on both sides of the fence.

Many in the Tanner community including students and parents have demonstrated their support for the principal since he was suspended by staging walkouts and protests, while those in opposition to him have remained stalwart, demanding he be terminated.

Complicating matters, several Tanner staff members have reported they received numerous threats from the families of Gordon and Charles Shoulders, chairman of the school board. LCEA Treasurer Brian Terry said the threats were made on social media and directed toward some of the Tanner employees who signed the list of grievances against Gordon.

The LCEA officers said in a statement to Sisk they “are willing and ready to file the needed charges against these individuals for their threats.”

Task force findings

After observing the deteriorating situation surrounding Gordon, Rugless, a local pastor, approached Sisk about creating a resolution task force that would bring both sides to the table. The group was designed to be racially diverse and included Tommy Hunter, the executive director of human resources and operations for county schools who has been investigating Gordon since January; Mike Owens, a retired Limestone County Schools assistant superintendent; Maria Taylor, a leader in the Hispanic community; a former student; a former school resource officer; and a parent of a Tanner student.

“We believe that the task force provided a service that was needed in order to get a better understanding of this situation as a whole,” Rugless said. “The task force was able to listen and give people an opportunity to vent and express themselves without being judged.”

The task force interviewed students, teachers, staff and community members during the first week of May, then compiled their findings in a report distributed to Sisk and members of the school board at the board’s May 24 meeting.

In the report, Rugless said Gordon’s leadership style, some Tanner teachers, and district leaders are all culpable. He also accused Gordon’s detractors of having a “clannish mindset.”

“Before Gordon was hired, there was community-wide support for Mr. Russ Cleveland, the former assistant principal at Tanner High School, to become the next principal,” Rugless said in the report.

Rugless said the decision not to have Cleveland as principal led to opposition to Gordon “from the very beginning … on all levels.”

Rugless included reports from teachers who attended the task force meetings. Common complaints against Gordon included concerns about his leadership style and communication and relational skills. They also complained he made changes too quickly.

The report also focused on teachers who were said to have acted unprofessionally by talking about Gordon to students and parents, highlighting an incident in which sixth-grade math teacher Amy Bates recorded a heated conversation between her and Gordon and then played it back for her students. Bates was transferred to Sugar Creek Elementary after the incident.

The central office is also partially responsible for the divisions at Tanner, according to the report. School leaders, including Sisk, were called out for not intervening in the situation soon enough and failing to provide Gordon with support and direction.

“As I personally spoke with some parents, it was said that the principal had very little support from the superintendent, that the superintendent should have insisted the teachers follow the directives of the principal,” Rugless said.

Gordon’s response

On May 8, Gordon submitted a written response to Hunter, in which he addressed the 27 complaints filed against him through the LCEA. In his response, Gordon said he was not given the opportunity to meet with his accusers per step one of the Limestone County School Grievance Procedures under policy 4.6.

The policy seems to corroborate Gordon’s stance, stating, “Before requesting corrective action or relief from the superintendent or the board, persons with such complaints, grievances or requests should present them for resolution to the employee, supervisor or administrator at the lowest administrative level who has the authority and ability to address the problem or to implement the requested action.”

Terry said the policy worked as written.

“Back in the fall, before an informal grievance was filed he was given the opportunity to address the issues with things or procedures that he was trying to implement,” Terry said. “He was given the opportunity to hear those issues and make corrective actions, if corrective action needed to be taken. Some of the issues in the informal grievances were already addressed, but the LCEA wanted to have a record of them.”

Gordon refuted each of the grievances filed against him in his response. He said he did not violate sexual harassment laws or LCS policies during his time as principal.

Antonia Fuqua, a Tanner parent who has been in contact with Gordon, said Gordon has still not received a response from Hunter or anyone else at the central office.

Racism a factor

In his report, Rugless goes on to address what he identified as underlying racism at Tanner. He said it was an elephant in the room that no one wanted to talk about despite it being mentioned in all three focus groups.

“There are Caucasians who feel that they are superior to African-Americans and are disgusted and revolted if an African-American is supervising them or doing better than them,” he said.

The task force explored how the controversy over Gordon has affected the high school. Rugless said he found staff and students at the school remain divided and the division has caused hurt feelings in the school and community.

He also said he believes the school has regressed since Gordon was placed on leave.

“In all of the focus groups, it was felt that the progress that had been made under Mr. Gordon’s administration has diminished greatly,” Rugless said. “The protocols that he instituted are no longer being followed and the school is going backwards.”

Resolution needed

Rugless concluded the task force’s report with a solution.

“There are people in the parent/community group who want Mr. Gordon to return,” Rugless said. “This was not all his fault, and they feel that he should be given another chance. He only had a few months to work his program.”

He said several changes will have to take place on both sides if Gordon is reinstated at Tanner.

“Both sides have to be apprised of their misgivings and be willing to make the needed adjustments and realize that this is for the sake of the students,” Rugless said.

In the report, Rugless said the school as a whole should seek professional help to bring healing and resolution to the school. He said Owens is willing to work without pay with Gordon to improve his skill set.