Haslett ‘drunk shaming’ draws attention of Mich. Dept. of Civil Rights

MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP — An incident of “drunk shaming” and drug use among teachers from Haslett Public Schools has drawn the attention of the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, a spokesman says.

“We were already involved and watching,” said Harold Core, spokesman for the department. Core said the department became aware of the situation about two weeks ago when it received an informal complaint.

Earlier this week, Michigan Messenger reported on the June 2007 party among Haslett teachers, which was investigated by the Meridian Township Police Department. That investigation turned up allegations of marijuana use by staff members, an alleged sexual assault and drunk shaming, an activity involving writing and drawing on people who have passed out due to intoxication.

Core said the department was monitoring the situation to determine what actions may be necessary. He said those actions could range from a formal investigation to the department producing trainings for the district.

“We have a number of tools in our toolbox,” Core said. “We don’t know what tools we would have to use yet.”

Police sought several criminal warrants for teachers involved in the 2007 incident, including felony sex charges and drug distribution charges. The requests were reviewed by two county prosecutors. Ingham County Prosecutor Stuart Dunnings III said he was willing to file battery charges in the case but had to recuse himself because he knew one of the witnesses. The case was then forwarded to Clinton County Prosecutor Charles Sherman by the attorney general’s office. Sherman declined to file charges, saying he had a hard time justifying filing charges nearly 18 months after the incident occurred.

Core said the attorney general’s office should review the decision of prosecutors “to make sure justice” has been served. He added that the attorney general’s criminal division could file criminal charges in the case, even though Dunnings and Sherman had not.

The involvement of the MDCR was called for by a group of parents on Tuesday who created an online petition that said:

WE, the undersigned, condemn the attacks on Haslett Public school teacher Veronica Piechotte at hands of her fellow teachers, and the subsequent lack of consequences.

WE, the undersigned, condemn Superintendent Mike Duda’s “joke” at a staff meeting of the Haslett Public Schools: “If you want this in another language, move to a country that speaks it.”

WE, the undersigned believe an investigation into the administrators, climate and policies of Haslett Public Schools system is warranted.

WE ask the state of Michigan and the Michigan Civil Rights Commission to protect the rights of the students and staff of Haslett Public Schools according to law.

This week, school district officials also turned to the Internet to address concerns and inform the public.

Superintendent Mike Duda posted a note on the school’s website and sent a letter via e-mail to district families.

From the blog post:

The administration of Haslett Public Schools began hearing rumors about the June 8, 2007 incident shortly after it took place. We immediately consulted with our legal counsel to determine what course of action should be taken.

–This incident occurred after the end of the school year, at a private party, on private property. Our attorney advised the district that we had no legal standing to take action against the staff members involved in the incident.

–Haslett Public Schools was also advised not to investigate the off-campus, after-hours conduct of a mixed group of male and female staff members while there was an open investigation by the Meridian Township Police.

At that time, the district offered full cooperation to the Meridian Township Police and the Ingham County Prosecutor’s Office. In addition, it is our understanding that two other county prosecutors reviewed the case and found no cause to bring criminal charges.

–During the investigation, the school district filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the Meridian Township Police and the Ingham County Prosecutor’s Office. The requests were denied. Furthermore, the prosecutor instructed us not to compromise his investigation by conducting one of our own.

–Legal counsel will continue to advise us on our next steps. It’s important to rely on facts – not rumors – where careers and reputations may be at stake.

–Let me express my personal feelings about this incident. It is deplorable and an embarrassment to the Haslett Public Schools and to our profession.

–At this point, the district has no legal recourse to take against any staff member who allegedly attended that private party held on private property. If criminal wrongdoing by anyone involved is found, we will not hesitate to take disciplinary action.

As Superintendent of Haslett Public Schools, I’m committed to maintaining a safe teaching and learning environment of the highest quality.

Duda’s letter echoed these same sentiments.

In addition to Duda’s response, Haslett Middle School Principal Andy Pridgeon sent an e-mail to staff titled “Professional Conversations.” In the letter, Pridgeon tells staff they have a responsibility to “protect” students and instructs them to tell students who ask about this situation that “[w]e are not talking about that topic at this time and if you have any questions, you need to talk with your parents about this.”

Editor’s Note: Michigan Messenger’s previous coverage of this incident led to many inappropriate comments being posted that had to be removed. We remind our readers to please keep in mind this passage from the site’s comment policy:

Keep discussions respectful: There are many different viewpoints represented both by the reporters and our audience. Different viewpoints and opinions are welcome, but personal attacks are not. Personal attacks on the writers, other commenters, or other attacks will not be tolerated, and those posts will be deleted with no notice.

We will not approve any comment that constitutes a personal attack on anyone in this situation, including the victim, the alleged perpetrators, the author of the article or your fellow commenters. Most importantly, we will not allow any comment that makes unsubstantiated allegations of illegal conduct. We encourage you to discuss relevant subjects in relation to our reporting, but that discussion must be undertaken in a civil manner that avoids defamation.