Liberty board releases investigators findings, issues formal apology to staff; says Zimmerman violated conduct standards but not federal harassment law

The Liberty Elementary School District governing board on Aug. 11 read findings from an outside investigation and issued a formal apology to district staff and community members, saying one board member repeatedly violated district operating standards though the investigator did not find evidence of racially motivated harassment.

The board president, Michael Todd, read two written statements summarizing the probe by investigator James Ledbetter of the Ledbetter law firm. The report said the standard of proof used was preponderance of the evidence and that witnesses and documentary materials were reviewed. The investigator concluded there was insufficient evidence to show the respondents treatment of the complainant was racially motivated and therefore the statutory standard for unlawful workplace harassment under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was not met, the report said. The investigator did find, by clear and convincing evidence, repeated breaches of the districts professionalism and ethics standards.

The board followed the reading with a separate formal letter stating the governing body regretted the impact of the conduct, apologized to those affected and called on board…