Camanche district faces lawsuit

By Danica Baker
Herald Staff Writer

March 31, 2006 11:00 am

— CLINTON — A Clinton resident is suing the Camanche School District claiming race discrimination and defamation of character.
Warren Williams, a former coach at Camanche High School, filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court, Southern District of Iowa, on March 21. The suit names the Camanche School District, Athletic Director Dave Grimm and Education Associate Margaret Hinrichson as defendants.
The suit alleges Williams was denied a coaching position because he is black, was treated differently than his non-minority peers and was unjustly and intentionally accused of selling drugs to students, bullying and engaging in sexual harassment.
Williams is seeking punitive and compensatory damages as well as front and back pay, interest, loss of benefits and attorney’s fees.
The suit comes in the wake of an official complaint filed in May with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission. In December, the commission issued an administrative release — a “right to sue” letter.
That was followed by a similar release issued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Williams was hired by the district in August 2004 as a football coach and a part-time education associate. He assumed the position of head basketball coach for the sophomore boys team for the 2004-2005 season.
In the lawsuit, Williams states he began experiencing racial discrimination from supervisory personnel in the district and was subjected to different treatment than similarly situated non-minority employees.
At the conclusion of the 2004-2005 athletic season, Williams alleges he requested to be head basketball coach for the sophomore men’s team as well as the varsity assistant coach in football and that Grim denied him that opportunity based on his race.
Williams maintains he held adequate qualifications for the coaching positions.
Williams claims Hinrichson defamed him by falsely accusing him of selling drugs to students, bullying and engaging in sexual harassment, which he says exposed him to public hatred, contempt and ridicule intent to injure him in his profession.
The lawsuit states the defamatory statements were knowingly made without investigation or justification and the defendants were willful and wanton in making those statements.
According to the civil complaint, Williams approached Grimm May 17 and was informed the district was not asking him back for his coaching position. Williams said he was “shocked and devastated.”
Williams said he improved the team’s previous years’ record and had a good relationship with his students and their parents, and told the Clinton Herald he could provide letters of recommendation supporting that claim.
“I feel I have experienced less than equality from my superiors at Camanche High School,” Williams stated in the complaint. “I truly believe that my civil rights have been violated simply because of my race and race alone and not the merits of my work accomplishments and the growth of the students while I have been at Camanche High School.”
When asked about the initial complaint in August, Camanche School District Superintendent Thomas Parker said the issue is a personnel matter and stated, “I’m not at liberty to discuss personnel matters.”
Camanche is on spring break this week and Parker could not be reached for additional comment early today.
In May, Williams said he felt he had earned his coaching position back without having to reapply for it.
“I have come into this school system as the first and only African-American,” Williams said. “I feel my presence in the school system alone has developed and taught these students valuable lessons of life possibly never otherwise given to them.”