Dennis Lab principal says she was forced into retirement; asks board for due process

Cammy Meador, principal of Dennis Lab School, told the Decatur Public School District 61 Board of Education on Feb. 24 that she is being forced into retirement after 38 years in education and asked the board to acknowledge her concerns and follow due process.

"I stand before you today deeply concerned about the circumstances surrounding my forced retirement after 38 years in education," Meador said during the public-comment portion of the meeting. She told board members she was invited to what she expected to be a summative evaluation, but that meeting "turned in quickly to a disciplinary action meeting without any warning," and that she subsequently was offered a choice to resign or return to the classroom. Meador said she had requested meetings with higher administration and that, when scheduled, summative evaluations were canceled or converted, and that she had been labeled as "needs improvement" despite a history of positive evaluations.

Meador said she has consulted legal counsel and asked the board to meet with her in pairs to review evidence and address what she called an "illegal action." There was no substantive administrative response recorded during the public-comment period; later in the meeting a board member acknowledged the comments and members discussed the broader facilities and priority issues affecting Dennis Lab School.

A community member, Tamara Trotter, followed Meador and urged the board to renew her contract, describing Meador as "the heart and soul" of Dennis Lab and citing positive impacts on students and staff.

What happens next: Meador asked for formal follow-up and a meeting with board members; the transcript records her request but does not show a scheduled date or a formal response during public comment. The board later continued discussion of facilities and roadmap decisions relevant to Dennis Lab School but did not resolve the personnel matter on the record during the meeting.

Context and limitations: Meador's public statements are her allegations made in a public forum. The board did not discuss or resolve the nonrenewal in open session during this meeting; the article reports only what Meador and the commenters stated on the record.