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As we have discussed in the past, I have had several members of the staff come to me as their
Association Representative regarding complaints and observations over the actions of Principal
Brian Purnell. After our discussion, I wanted to allow for some time for you to discuss those
concerns with Mr. Purnell.
However, since that time the issues that were brought to my attention have continued and some
issues have escalated, and staff members have again approached me to file a formal complaint,
as many staff members are concerned about our students and the future of the Prospect School
District.
Within the conversations I have had with staff members, I have inquired if they have spoken to
Mr. Purnell about any of their concerns. Those who have spoken to me have done so after
“trying to work with” Mr. Purnell, and at this point, many staff members no longer feel
comfortable going to him over these concerns and many have expressed that they do not feel
comfortable speaking to Mr. Purnell without either myself or another staff member present.
You and I have discussed some of these matters listed below previously, and after our
conversations staff members observed that some behaviors “became worse.”
Related to the lack of professional behavior/communication are concerns brought to several staff
members by students throughout the school year. Since the fall, students have been inquiring as
to why “Mr. Purnell hates Mr. O’Neil” based on how Mr. Purnell has spoken to them about Mr.
O’Neil, as well as how he has acted towards Mr. O’Neil in front of students throughout the
course of the school year. When students have expressed these concerns, staff members have told
them that the school policy regarding concerns of this matter was to have their parents contact
the school to discuss those concerns. These matters have not been brought by staff members to
the administration, as staff members continue to fear retaliation from Mr. Purnell “for speaking
up.”
There have also been instances of parents this school year approaching teachers over concerns
regarding Mr. Purnell, his actions towards their children and what has been described by the
parents as him “not taking care of problems” or “targeting their children.” In these instances,
teachers have informed the parents of the school policies and procedures, and have let parents
know if they have concerns they are to contact you as the superintendent. At this point in time, I
do not know if any of those parents have been in contact with you over their concerns. However,
I would like you to be aware that teachers are still being contacted by parents over similar
concerns and staff are continuing to advise parents to contact you as the superintendent.
One large concern that has been brought to me by staff is that multiple staff members have
perceived some of the actions of Mr. Purnell as retaliatory in nature, and many are concerned
that if I included specific examples with the date(s) and time(s) of what they observed or the
specific comments made to them, that they will face further retaliation from Mr. Purnell. There
are staff members who have flat out said they are “afraid of Mr. Purnell” due to how he has been
treating staff members.
Due to the behavior of Mr. Purnell, many staff members feel that the environment of Prospect
Charter School has become, in the words of several members, “toxic.” Several staff members,
including several long-time teachers with the district, are considering leaving for positions at
other districts due to the actions of Mr. Purnell and no longer feel safe within our school.
While our school has a lot of room to grow, creating an environment where our staff members
are fearful to come to school every day is not conducive to an educational environment. We need
a dramatic change regarding the concerns of our staff to best serve our students and deliver the
education that our students deserve.
If any further instances of such behavior occur, the EA will immediately bring them to the
attention of the District and/or the School Board as appropriate. Also, I am concerned as I am in
uncharted territory with many of these staff concerns. Do I need to report any of these concerns
to parents, DHS, TSPC, BOLI, EEOC, the School Board as a whole, or any other regulatory
agencies? The more I hear from staff the more concerned I am that, at a minimum, a potential
ethical educator violation needs to be reported to TSPC. Is that accurate, and would that come
from you as the school district representative? I want to make sure everything I’m doing is legal
so that this situation does not become worse than it already is. Our hope is that you will resolve
this yourself, which will allow employees to avoid going to the School board, BOLI, EEOC,
filing a grievance, et cetera.
Please let me know if you have any questions, and what your timeline for this investigation into
these matters will be. I’m hopeful we can move quickly. As we previously discussed, some staff
are talking about votes of no confidence and other actions, and once we go down those roads I
believe relationships would be irreparably harmed and any damage could not be undone.
Sincerely,
Janet Yakopatz
PEA President
C.C.
Ray Williams – Prospect School Board Chair
Daniel Burdis – OEA Consultant