Sequim School District officials are expected to release more information about complaints regarding assistant superintendent Jennifer Maughan in early November.
Maughan was placed on administrative leave on Sept. 4, a day after the school district received a complaint from Maughan, filed by attorney Shannon McMinimee, alleging acts of discrimination/retaliation against her by interim superintendent Jane Pryne.
Maughan’s placement on leave, McMinimee wrote in a Sept. 4 email, said was “in direct retaliation for our having made a discrimination and retaliation complaint against Interim Superintendent Jane Pryne.”
Pryne said she was unable to comment about Maughan’s placement on leave or employment status.
On Sept. 13, Sequim school board president Brandino Gibson wrote that the district is processing other complaints involving Maughan, and that “some that require coordination of her interactions with District staff, students and community members.
“The District has no one other than Dr. Pryne to supervise Ms. Maughan’s work or complete the transition of her return from her leave of absence, which had not been completed prior to the filing of her complaint. For those reasons Ms. Maughan was placed on paid administrative leave, effective September 4, 2021.”
Maughan was on medical leave from Feb. 19 through August. In contradiction to the district’s statement, McMinimee said Maughan had already returned from her medical leave before she filed her retaliation complaint against the superintendent.
The Gazette is awaiting documents from the district detailing the number and specifics of complaints against Maughan, as well as complaints filed by Maughan. Representatives with the school district said the first installment of documents requested would be available by Nov. 12.
The school district is “continuing to monitor all of the complaints currently pending, and will take further action as circumstances warrant, but has no further comment on any of them at this time,” Gibson wrote.
McMinimee said that while Maughan — while on medical leave earlier this year — filed a separate complaint with the Washington Human Rights Commission (HRC) regarding “discrimination, retaliation, and workplace violence she had experienced working for the (Sequim School District) up through the time when she went on medical leave.”
In her HRC complaint dated March 22, Maughan asserts that she “Has been passed over for consideration for Superintendent, been subjected to unwanted sex-based commentary, had her job duties taken away/minimized, physically assaulted, etc.”
Maughan also alleges the school district was “proposing to share a yet to be investigated complaint without redaction of Ms. Maughan’s name in retaliation for her raising issues of discrimination and harassment.”
In her HRC complaint, Maughan also asserts no reasons were given for the treatment noted above.
“Ms. Maughan has been truthful in investigations about male district administrators engaging in discrimination/harassment of other women,” the complaint states.
Maughan has also filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, McMinimee wrote.
