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MEETING 1
Abstract
The School District Board of Trustees meeting on March 22, 2018, covered several serious
problems on the agenda pertaining to school policies and practices. One issue was filed by
Deputy Superintendent Kim Wooden, who also filed with the Nevada Equal Rights Commission
and U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. D.S. Wooden accuses trustee Kevin
Employment Contract. The board voted to approve the settlement, and on amending the contract
in a four to three vote. It is an important case for future teachers to study because it pertains to
teachers and administrators rights about feeling comfortable and safe within the work
environment, and it shows how litigation is handled within the school district regarding these
issues. The difficulty and interesting aspect of this case is that the complaint is regarding the
inappropriate behavior from an elected official, specifically against first term Board of Trustees
member Kevin Child. Many of the members felt like the rulings of this case would be a major
reflection on the values of the school board, and considered this a topic of major importance. The
specific details of this case also covers law pertaining to discrimination, harassment, employment
Thursday afternoon, people finally begin taking their seats around six o’clock, while
Trustees Board members where shuffling through papers, and many others were getting ready for
the night’s planned discussions ahead. The School Districts Board of Trustees members
included: President, Deanna L. Wright; Vice-President, Carolyn Edwards; Clerk, Lola Brooks;
and members Linda P. Cavazos, Kevin L. Child, Chris Garvey, and Linda E. Young. The District
Superintendent Pat Skorkowsky was also there. The board began by approving the agenda that
was set, followed by having a public comment period, and then proceed to discusses the items
that were on the agenda. There were many different items discussed that were impactful to the
educational system such as harassment charges, substitute and teaching employment contracts,
school safety, maintenance, security, and including how to direct the Superintendent on
implementing a new policy on gender diversity in compliance with new state law.
One topic that came up that interested me was section 3.35 of the school board agenda.
The plaintiff was Kim Wooden, the Deputy Superintendent, who had filed a charge with the
Nevada Equal Rights Commission and U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission,
accusing trustee Child of inappropriate behavior. Ms.Wooden claimed to feel “unsafe” and
“uncomfortable.” According the how the board was describing the situation, she felt unable to
attend board meetings and other work related meetings without feeling uncomfortable. The
details of the employment contract were to remain confidential until after the hearing, and after
the vote had been passed. The original filed complaint was with the NERC, and requested both
parties settle the dispute among themselves before the investigations. However, in general,
NERC did not make an officially judgement call, but did encourage the parties to work it out.
ARTIFACT 1:REVIEW OF SCHOOL DISTRICT TRUSTEES BOARD MEETING 4
The parties were not able to successfully work things out among themselves which is why the
The interesting part in dealing with this case is that it is dealing with an elected official.
Normally when teachers or administrators file charges of harassment, the charges can be looked
into by a supervisor, a higher up, or some unaffiliated third party. In this case, there is not really
a higher up because elected officials and trustees do not really have a supervisor. So unless it’s
the trustee who is the alleged bad actor everyone else has a boss or someone higher up who can
investigate said allegations or said “bad actor,” but in this case the accusations are against first
term trustee board member Kevin Child (CCSD, 2018). For the record, trustee member Child
was at this board meeting, and did say if the board voted to pass the motion he would sue for
This is not trustee members Child’s first time being accused of inappropriate behavior at
the workplace. After doing some research of my own, around 2016, I discovered trustee Child
was actually banned from showing up to CCSD schools unannounced, without a written request,
and without the approval of the Superintendent. The board member was apparently walking into
classrooms and schools unannounced, and making unnecessary comments to teachers and staff.
According to the article called, “CCSD bars Trustee Kevin Child from making school visits”, by
the Las Vegas: Review Journal, “The Clark County Education Association claims it has fielded
numerous complaints about Child disrupting classes and making inappropriate comments at
schools.... CCEA Executive Director John Vellardita said Child has made “inappropriate
claims of trustee Child’s inappropriate behavior have been floating around for a while now.
ARTIFACT 1:REVIEW OF SCHOOL DISTRICT TRUSTEES BOARD MEETING 5
However, according to a different Las Vegas: Review Journal article, released last Wednesday,
“Clark County School District trustee Kevin Child said that it’s a shame the district intends to
settle a workplace harassment complaint against him, reiterating his contention that he’s never
done anything to make anyone feel uncomfortable in my life” (Delaney, 2018). In conclusion,
According to the textbook, Legal Right of Teachers and Students, sexual harassment
generally refers to the repeated and unwelcome sexual advances, sexually suggestive comments,
or sexually demeaning gestures or acts; and when filing a charge of harassment, under Title VII,
Environment.” Although, the particular details regarding Ms.Wooden’s accusations and contract
were not mentioned in the meeting, due to regulations and certain privacy laws, from the little
bits of things said during the time, I gather Mr.Child was creating an environment that was either
threatening or humiliating, and causing interference with Ms. Wooden’s work. There also seems
to be significant evidence regarding past behavioral incidents involving Mr.Child, therefore Ms.
The tension in the room was able to be cut with a butter knife around the time Trustee
board member Young added in this comment during the meeting regarding the situation,
“Women feeling bullied and not feeling empowered is something that is happening all around the
world as a movement. No employee in the Clark County School District should have to move
around their school district, and not feel comfortable or safe. Ms. Wooden does not feel safe.
And as a district it is our responsibility to make our employees feel safe. It’s about setting a
ARTIFACT 1:REVIEW OF SCHOOL DISTRICT TRUSTEES BOARD MEETING 6
model for our employees and students. No employee, male or female, should feel uncomfortable
or not safe. So I can not support this settlement at this time” (CCSD, 2018) Some of the board
members seemed to have similar views. In addition, this motion was close to a few of their
hearts, and considered very impactful to their work; and most seemed determined to settle this
Personally, I am very happy with the board’s decision to approve the motion. I think the
ruling for section 3.35 does send a strong message about the values and beliefs of the board. No
CCSD employee should feel unsafe or uncomfortable, and if so they should be able to advocate
for their rights to feel safe and protected, and in turn be protected by the district if the said claims
are true. I also enjoyed being able to watch this online. It allowed me to get a feel for what a
community school district board meeting is like. After watching this meeting, I have a new
respect for these public servants, because they have to make very serious rulings; cover very dry
material in front of the public, and for long hours. This particular meeting did not finally adjourn
until midnight, after six long hours of discussion regarding cases similar to section 3.35 and
many other issues. I applaud them for their resilience and stamina.
ARTIFACT 1:REVIEW OF SCHOOL DISTRICT TRUSTEES BOARD MEETING 7
References
OF SCHOOL TRUSTEES [PDF]. (2018, March 22). Las Vegas: Clark County School
District.
Cambron-McCabe, N. H., McCarthy, M. M., & Eckes, S. (2014). Legal Rights of Teachers and
src="https://clark.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=17&clip_id=5770&starttime=
http://clark.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=17&clip_id=5770
Delaney, M. (2018, March 21). Clark County school trustee Kevin Child addresses workplace
https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/education/clark-county-school-trustee-kevin-child-
addresses-workplace-complaint/
Pak-harvey, A. (2017, February 19). CCSD bars Trustee Kevin Child from making school visits.
https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/education/ccsd-bars-trustee-kevin-child-from-maki
ng-school-visits/