Parent speaks out after Hazel Park superintenent put on administrative leave for second time

The regularly scheduled Hazel Park School Board meeting is on Monday night, but one person won't be there: the school district superintendent.

Last week, four board members voted during a special meeting to place Superintendent Amy Wilcox on paid administrative leave again. This vote came four months after the board voted to buy out Wilcox's contract.

Jennifer Jackson says she keeps her two children at Hazel Park Schools because of the quality of education. However, Jackson says she's not happy with the recent decisions made by four members of the school board.

"I'm happy with the education that my children have received. I am impressed with the professionalism and the creativity of the teachers here," Jackson said.

Trustees Darrin Fox, Deborah Laframboise, Heidi Fortress and school president Beverly Hinton voted to place Wilcox on leave. The latest action follows a complaint by a board member made to the Michigan Department of Education.

The same four voted to buy out Wilcox's contract in March. Trustees Monica Rattee and April Beaton voted against placing Wilcox on leave.

Beaton released the following statement:

I am again disappointed that the majority of the board has chosen to devote additional taxpayer resources to a matter that was already resolved, rather than keeping our focus and our financial resources on the success and well-being of the children in our district.

As I said in our meeting, I am deeply concerned by information suggesting that this course of action was planned well in advance, including board leadership failing to communicate this clearly predetermined plan to all board members, the apparent sending of protected student records to a trustee's personal email account, and the refusal to share any information about a preselected interim superintendent candidate before forcing a vote. Our last meeting represented a serious breach of the transparency and accountability our community expects.

"That is really a shame when you have a majority of people who are out there spending their money the way that they are day in and day out, and you have zero faith that they're doing it for the right reasons," Jackson said.

An investigation into the superintendent revealed no evidence of any wrongdoing and Wilcox returned to work.

"People are unhappy with the amount of money that they pay in property taxes. This is where your money is going. This is where your money is going, and it's coming up with nothing," Jackson said.

One thing that is giving parents hope, during last week's special meeting, the superintendent's lawyer placed the school board on a litigation hold.

Meanwhile, former Taylor School District Superintendent Griff Mills was appointed Hazel Park's interim superintendent. Mills resigned from his position at Taylor in 2023.

It's unclear if or when Wilcox will return to work.

"We're going to move forward with our support of Dr. Wilcox and the support of our students," Jackson said.

The community plans to show support for Wilcox by wearing pink at Monday night's regular meeting.