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Public commenter tells board she filed OCR complaint alleging retaliation, cites 'culture of fear'
Summary
A public commenter, Jeanette Shade, told the Queen Creek Unified School District board she filed an Office for Civil Rights complaint alleging retaliation and described a culture of fear affecting district staff.
During the board’s public‑comment period, Jeanette Shade addressed the governing board and said she filed an OCR complaint alleging retaliation based on race and other factors and described a broader “culture of fear” within the district.
Shade said she has 28 years in education and told the board she emailed Superintendent Perry Berry on Jan. 5, 2025 about her concerns. She accused a district staff member, Scott Lovely, of attempting to silence her and said Human Resources director Amy Cram and Assistant Superintendent Adam Wolf refused to hear her evidence.
Shade told the board she had reported what she described as threats and false accusations after inquiring about political views and curricular topics. She said she filed the complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights and that the matter “is currently being investigated,” according to her remarks.
The board’s public‑comment instructions – read at the start of the comment period – reminded speakers that actions resulting from public comment are limited to directing staff to study the matter, responding to criticism or scheduling the matter for a future agenda, citing the Arizona statute ARS 38‑431.01(H). No board action on Shade’s comments is recorded in the transcript; Shade’s remarks were time limited to three minutes.
