Teachers and parents urge change to Berkeley County grievance process; superintendent says interims will be addressed
Summary
Public commenters told the Berkeley County Board of Education on Jan. 12 that teachers fear retaliation under the current grievance process and alleged favoritism in handling complaints; Superintendent Dixon said the district has a plan to address interim administrator assignments.
Sarah Khalil, speaking as a member of the Berkeley County Education Association and a parent, told the school board on Jan. 12 that many teachers “do not feel they have a meaningful voice” and cited a district survey in which “72 percent of teachers surveyed report being afraid to file a grievance.” Khalil said retaliation often appears as cold demeanor, unanswered emails, difficulty with leave requests, or lack of support, and alleged that complaints against principals with close ties to Chief Human Resources Officer Amy Fulmer are routinely dismissed, creating a perception of favoritism.
“The retaliation policy cannot protect teachers unless retaliation is provable,” Khalil said, adding that teachers often leave because they see “no intervention to resolve toxic work environments.”
Amanda Hebel, a parent who said she previously believed problems were isolated, described what she called a recurring pattern of administrative removals and prolonged interim appointments. Hebel said eight of nine interim positions announced June 9 remained unfilled permanently and called the pattern “political and deeply personal,” saying the instability undermines teacher retention.
“I used to think what was happening at my daughter's school was an isolated incident,” Hebel said. “This is a pattern.”
Linda Lindsay Dredgell, another parent, urged clearer follow-up and transparency when families raise concerns. She told the board that rising accountability without corresponding supports is creating burnout for teachers and asked the district to be explicit about next steps when complaints are submitted.
Superintendent Dixon acknowledged the comments during his report and said the district has discussed interim assignments in recent cabinet meetings. “We do have definitely have a plan to address all of our interims that has been a point of our conversation for the last 2 cabinet meetings, and we will make sure that we will address those interim principals who are working so very hard in their schools,” Dixon said. He also noted he has served in interim roles in his career and framed some interim assignments as administrative measures taken while the district completes personnel processes.
The board did not take immediate action on public comments at the meeting; the chair reminded speakers that public comment is a forum for input and that the board will not adjudicate individual personnel matters during that session. Several commenters asked the board to work with educators to create a grievance process that is “safe, transparent, and effective.”
What’s next: commenters asked for concrete follow-up and transparency. Superintendent Dixon said the district is continuing internal work and that cabinet discussions have included timelines for addressing interim roles; no formal policy change or vote was announced at the meeting.
