Southside Elementary teachers file new complaint with state

Madison Teachers Inc. filed a lawsuit on behalf of current and former staff on September 16, alleging that Candace Terrell and Annabel Torres unlawfully intimidated and retaliated against current and former Southside staff after speaking out against the two administrators earlier this year.

Until Monday, Terrell and Torres were the school’s principal and assistant principal, respectively. However, amid an ongoing investigation, both no longer work at the school.

An in-person hearing on the complaint was set for 9 a.m. Monday in Madison, but was canceled Friday. The parties are discussing a new date, WERC attorney Peter Davis told the Wisconsin State Journal via email.

Davis will issue a decision and may order relief in the event of a violation. The decision can be appealed to the Commission that oversees the WERC and any subsequent decision by the Commission or WERC can be appealed to the circuit court, he said .

In April, 24 current and former Southside Elementary School staff members filed a lawsuit against Terrell and Torres, accusing the leaders of poor safety practices and bullying that led to an exodus of teachers from the school. school. Several also spoke at a May 20 school board meeting.

Parents filed a separate complaint in June, saying the current situation at the school is reaching an “epic level of untenability.” Both groups say the school’s culture led to long-term staff vacancies, which negatively impacted students.

In retaliation for speaking out publicly, MTI says, Terrell and Torres both submitted workplace bullying and discrimination documents to the Madison School District against all but one current MTI member, who spoke at the board meeting.

The labor relations complaint alleges that Terrell filed these documents “to influence the outcome” of the investigation into his behavior. The same staff members who spoke out have now been subjected to “prosecutor-style interrogations” by district staff, according to the MTI complaint.

District employees may be subject to discipline or termination if they violate workplace bullying or discrimination policies. As a result, the labor complaint also names the Madison school district.

Terrell and Torres denied the allegations in their responses to the complaint, but confirmed they had filed bullying and discrimination complaints with the school district.

Terrell said in the response letter that the documents filed were intended to respond to “defamatory public statements” and that the labor relations complaint is an attempt by MTI to influence the outcome of the investigation.

Torres is represented by the Axley Brynelson law firm in Madison. Milwaukee-based Padway and Padway represents Terrell.

It remains unclear whether Terrell and Torres remain district employees or if they have been fired. School board President Nichelle Nichols told the State Journal on Tuesday that she did not believe the two had been fired.

“Because of the ongoing investigations, it took some effort to try to settle the school community and, you know, really focus on student learning and staff growth,” Nichols said.