Hazel Park school superintendent speaks out after suspension: "It's heart-wrenching"

The Hazel Park Schools district has faced significant challenges amid tense relations between certain school board members and the suspension of Superintendent Amy Wilcox.

For the first time, Wilcox sat down to address the conflict. Although she has been suspended for the second time, the Michigan Department of Education says she's not under investigation.

In a statement, an MDE spokesperson says, "It's up to local school districts to make personnel decisions—not the Michigan Department of Education. It is highly unusual for a board of education to base personnel decisions on the department's review of a complaint filed with the state."

In May 2015, Wilcox became the superintendent of the Hazel Park Schools district. Her certified therapy dog, Rocky, normally is by her side.

"It has been a wonderful journey," Wilcox told CBS News Detroit.

In January 2025, Wilcox was placed on non-disciplinary paid administrative leave. The full results of that investigation were never made public, only a summary.

"Ultimately, the investigation concluded that there were no board policies or school policies that she violated," said Wilcox's attorney, Heidi Sharp.

Wilcox returned to work. In March 2026, she says she was surprised to learn that the school board was planning to buy out her contract for more than $1 million.

Sharp says she received an agreement letter, but by then, they learned that litigation had been filed alleging violations of Michigan's Open Meetings Act.

A member of the school district filed an injunction to invalidate actions taken during that March 2026 meeting, including the buyout vote.

"By the time that got to court, the judge indicated that it was a moot issue because the deadline that they put on the buyout offer had already expired," Sharp said.

The school year continued.

"I'd be remiss if I would say to you that every board meeting that I went into, I didn't have a pit in my stomach about what's next," Wilcox told CBS News Detroit.

Next, another complaint was filed by a board member with the Michigan Department of Education.

Trustees Beverly Hinton, Deborah Laframboise, Heidi Fortress and Darrin Fox once again voted to place Wilcox on leave this summer. CBS News Detroit reached out to all four trustees for comment. Fox declined, while the other three trustees did not respond.

"I did not know from my board president what was happening. She had asked me to set up that special meeting," Wilcox said.

"I just want to say, no one is going to believe this, but I specifically asked not to be included in any of this discussion," Darrin Fox said during the July 20, 2026, meeting.

Which raises the question of whether there was another violation of the Open Meetings Act?

"It's our position that there were certainly violations of state and federal law at that meeting," Sharp said.

Some staff members, teachers and parents who spoke to CBS News Detroit have questioned the motivations of the four trustees, who they claim frequently vote together.

"I don't know what is behind this. I certainly feel as if what is happening is not in the best interest of Hazel Park as a community," Wilcox said.

Sharp says these matters should not be done in the dark.

"If you shine a light on it, it's not in the dark, and the community shined a light on it, and I just hope that they continue to keep her in the light," Sharp said.

During the most recent school board meeting, interim superintendent Griff Mills was normally occupied by Wilcox. Mills' contract was approved, but not before three trustees pointed out language they found concerning. It indicated the board was seeking a permanent replacement for Wilcox.

The school board approved Mills' contract on the condition that the paragraph that raised a red flag would be removed.  

"It was a gut (punch) to my stomach when that happened," Wilcox said.

Wilcox says she's trying to focus on herself right now, but she wants to return to work.

"It's heart-wrenching. No one shows up to work every single day not to do or not to give 100% towards kids, and it's really difficult to think that this could determine the fact that I might not be able to do that again," Wilcox said.

She was hoping to finish out her nearly 40-year career in education in Hazel Park. But for Wilcox, the future is uncertain.

"I bought a house, was to stay in Hazel Park, work in Hazel Park until I decided that was time to retire. My father's an educator. You know when it's time to retire, and I'm absolutely not ready yet," she said.