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Former HR employee alleges racial bias, privacy breaches at district meeting
Summary
At the June 17 meeting, Chelsea Cummings, who said she ended employment effective June 19, accused Evergreen Park School District 124 of fostering 'an environment of racial divide,' alleging lack of inclusion, mishandling of sensitive medical records and inadequate HR support; the board did not provide an on-the-spot response but followed its policy of receiving public comment.
Chelsea Cummings, who said she worked in the district human resources office and ended her employment effective June 19, used the board’s public comment period on June 17 to urge trustees to address what she described as systemic problems in the district’s workplace culture.
Cummings said she holds a master’s degree in human resources and that ‘‘with outdated systems and systemic racism at the root of the district, I felt obligated to not only end my employment, but to shed light on some desperate need for change.’’ She said the work environment lacked ‘‘a culture of inclusion’’ and that the district ‘‘fosters an environment of racial divide.’’
Cummings also alleged specific operational failures. She told the board that ‘‘my very sensitive medical records were carelessly exposed to an employee outside of the HR department’’ and that she received no timely responses to urgent information requests: "I urgently emailed directors and went 5 days with no response regarding my detailed information request."
She described limited on-the-job support and said the district pays for systems (she named Frontline) but that staff were not trained or willing to use them, quoting a district technology director as saying, "Chelsea has made it further with Frontline than anyone." Cummings said she was not hired to serve as tech support, but to perform HR duties.
The board’s public-comment protocol, read at the start of the period, notes that trustees do not respond to public comments during meetings but will take concerns under advisement and arrange follow-up through the appropriate staff member. Meeting minutes and staff follow-up will determine whether and how the district responds to the allegations.
Cummings concluded by urging trustees — particularly board members of color — to act on behalf of employees and community members of color and said she was speaking on behalf of others who fear retaliation.
Next steps: The board did not provide an on-the-record response at the meeting; administrators said they would follow their established process for responding to public comment and directed staff to provide requested information after the meeting where appropriate.
