SEQUIM — The Sequim School District released a public letter Tuesday to explain why high school Principal Shawn Langston and former Superintendent Robert Clark were temporarily suspended last year.
In the case of Langston, they say there were complaints from a staff member alleging that he sexually harassed them by sharing a reference to a school assignment from his youth titled, “Girls,” with the opening line “36-24-36!” and by playing the song, “Hot for Teacher” at a staff meeting.
They say the investigation has shown that Mr. Langston did not engage in sex discrimination, but that his reference to his school assignment and playing “Hot for Teacher” did, in fact, violate the Sequim School District’s policy.
The school district has enlisted the assistance of a mediator to work with the staff and provided Langston with a mentor to provide guidance as he continues to lead Sequim High School.
As for Rob Clark, the district retained the services of a separate independent investigator to review the allegations made by two complainants alleging that Dr. Clark engaged in possible gender discrimination and sexual harassment.
Since Clark elected to resign, privacy concerns limit the District’s ability to share complete information about the investigation, but they do say the board determined Clark exhibited poor decision-making and poor judgement in the way he approached some personnel matters, but that the actions did not rise to the level of an unlawful work environment or gender discrimination.
They say ultimately Clark utilized a management style the board does not agree with and elected to resign in the best interests of the district, its staff and its students.