By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A Pretty Prairie woman spoke to Hutch Post on Friday about the event that the FREEDOM 1 Organization held that afternoon in the city in support of a black employee who the organization says was discriminated against by two white employees in the district.
"I have five biracial children that attend school here," said spokesperson Mary Dean. "It's been a really hard year for everybody with division. I think after politics and a pandemic, everybody just kind of went crazy, people just felt that they could treat people however they wanted to and that there was no consequences and that it was okay."
There has been a mediation process regarding the underlying personnel issues and in light of that process, Dean could not speak more specifically about the details of the incidents, but she said that holding a rally was the last thing the organization wanted to do.
"We have decided that we're going to come together and we're standing up, because it's not okay," Dean said. "This is a safe place to live. It's a great community. People come here. We have great schools, our kids can go outside and play, they get a good education and so much of that is going out of the window right now and we're trying to save that."
Pretty Prairie USD 311 Superintendent Randy Hendrickson could not speak to the situation much as it is an ongoing personnel matter, but as far as he knew as of Friday morning, all employees involved in the incidents will remain employed with the school district, barring further action that could be taken later.
"We are not accepting visitors during the stated protest time," Hendrickson said. "We are going to try to resume classes as normal."
Hendrickson told us that any absence of students during the protest would be up to their families.
"If the parents call and excuse their child from school, that's a family decision," Hendrickson said. "As our policy always is, if we have a student that leaves school for any reason, we want to make certain that we've communicated with parents."
USD 311 has retained the services of attorney Gerald Green. Green acknowledges there was a complaint made by the employee at the state level.
"The district has had a complaint filed by an employee with the Kansas Human Rights Commission alleging that he was discriminated against in his employment," Green said. "That complaint is pending before the KHRC. The district has responded to that and has addressed the employee's complaints. It would appear, at least, by virtue of the protest and what's going on, that some people are not satisfied with the response."
This complaint has been active since last September.
"We have filed our response to that," Green said. "They then assign an investigator to it. I don't know how long that investigation might take."
The group says they will continue to speak out until the situation has been resolved, but they were not specific about what resolution would mean.