WAYNE COUNTY, Mich. – A lawsuit has been filed against the Wayne-Westland school district by the current superintendent who is on paid leave during an investigation into alleged misconduct.
Shelley Holt is on paid administrative leave and has filed a lawsuit demanding more than $2 million for the way the school board handled complaints about her.
Holt has been on the job for less than two years. While she is on leave, the board appointed Dr. Sue Carnell to serve in the interim.
The investigation was launched to look into the practices of her administration in the removal or reassignment of employees. One employee wrote a complaint letter to the board, saying, "Dr. Holt has also made changes to policies for personal reasons."
The employee went on to write that Holt "created a division which has resulted in fear-based culture."
Holt's attorney insists the $2 million lawsuit was the only way she could counter the violation of privacy they claim the school board enacted. The lawsuit contends the investigation is being handled differently than "an investigation was handled against a former white male superintendent in the district."