February 17, 2019

Dear Superintendent Jantzi:

As we have discussed in the past, I have had several members of the staff come to me as their
Association Representative regarding complaints and observations over the actions of Principal
Brian Purnell. After our discussion, I wanted to allow for some time for you to discuss those
concerns with Mr. Purnell.

However, since that time the issues that were brought to my attention have continued and some
issues have escalated, and staff members have again approached me to file a formal complaint,
as many staff members are concerned about our students and the future of the Prospect School
District.

Within the conversations I have had with staff members, I have inquired if they have spoken to
Mr. Purnell about any of their concerns. Those who have spoken to me have done so after
“trying to work with” Mr. Purnell, and at this point, many staff members no longer feel
comfortable going to him over these concerns and many have expressed that they do not feel
comfortable speaking to Mr. Purnell without either myself or another staff member present.

You and I have discussed some of these matters listed below previously, and after our
conversations staff members observed that some behaviors “became worse.”

Some of the concerns that have been expressed to me are as follows:

1. Lack of professional behavior/communication:

a. Yelling/raising voice to staff members, including “yelling” at a substitute teacher
in the presence of our support staff
b. Lack of confidentiality where personal details or negative personal opinions held
by Mr. Purnell regrading staff have been shared with staff members
i. Some staff members also feel that have “been called out” or “put on the
spot” by Mr. Purnell over personal matters (evaluations, feedback,
discussion, etc.), in front of other staff members or in group meetings
where the staff members feel “forced to explain/defend private
information”
ii. Making inappropriate and derogatory comments to staff over hiring done
prior to his employment
c. Giving “directives” to staff members “without any clear directions”
d. Unprofessional body language, including “sneering looks, eye rolling,” and other
facial expressions that appear to convey “disgust,” as well as during some
meetings with staff members, crossed arms and refusing to look at the staff
member to whom he is speaking
 e. While serving as a basketball coach, interviewing students about teachers rather
than in investigatory meetings
f. Telling staff members that they are “not allowed to talk to other staff members”
over issues, including some staff members that feel it has been implied to not seek
advice or support from me as their union representative
g. Informing staff members, they have filled out something “wrong” or incorrectly,
(filled out a form, requisition, PO, etc.), but when they inquire as to what is wrong
and what needs to be done to rectify the matter, no answer or direction is
provided, other than it is “wrong” and it needs to be “fixed”
i. Denying requests (leave, POs, requisitions, etc.), with no communication
as to the reason for denial
h. Inserting religion into workplace conversations in a directive manner
i. Not providing accommodations for illnesses
j. Not providing requested information to ensure the safety of students
2. Lack of equity in how staff members are treated and evaluated:
a. Performance in one classroom is praised as “4 / Proficient”, but when it’s
replicated in another classroom it’s deemed “1 / Unsatisfactory”
b. Questioning only certain staff members if they request to attend
trainings/meetings, while other staff members do not have to answer such
questions
c. Clearly prioritizing athletics over other classes and events
3. Lack of equity in how students are treated:
a. Concerns about inconsistent implementation of discipline
b. Concerns about favoritism toward athletes
c. Concerns over directives given to staff members to not deal with disciplinary
issues regarding specific students
d. Concerns over unprofessional language aimed at students, in front of other
students and staff members
e. Concerns over student confidentiality in emails using names in subject lines
4. Lack of professional support or follow through:
a. Negative evaluations and feedback are not followed up with assistance, models
for how teaching can be changed, or clarification of “what exactly Mr. Purnell is
looking for,” etc.
b. Feedback that is provided is punitive, and again “directives continue to be given
without direction”
c. Staff emails are ignored, dismissed, or not responded to
d. Requested support is denied, or questions continued to be asked thereby resulting
in the support never being provided
5. Retaliatory actions:
 a. Staff members have observed that if an individual approaches Mr. Purnell over
questions or concerns regarding any behavior or decisions, or have expressed
those concerns to you as the superintendent or me as their union representative,
they are then “targeted” and treated differently by Mr. Purnell to the point of
feeling harassed.
b. Some staff members have also observed that they began to be negatively
evaluated after expressing questions or concerns to or about Mr. Purnell.

Related to the lack of professional behavior/communication are concerns brought to several staff
members by students throughout the school year. Since the fall, students have been inquiring as
to why “Mr. Purnell hates Mr. O’Neil” based on how Mr. Purnell has spoken to them about Mr.
O’Neil, as well as how he has acted towards Mr. O’Neil in front of students throughout the
course of the school year. When students have expressed these concerns, staff members have told
them that the school policy regarding concerns of this matter was to have their parents contact
the school to discuss those concerns. These matters have not been brought by staff members to
the administration, as staff members continue to fear retaliation from Mr. Purnell “for speaking
up.”

There have also been instances of parents this school year approaching teachers over concerns
regarding Mr. Purnell, his actions towards their children and what has been described by the
parents as him “not taking care of problems” or “targeting their children.” In these instances,
teachers have informed the parents of the school policies and procedures, and have let parents
know if they have concerns they are to contact you as the superintendent. At this point in time, I
do not know if any of those parents have been in contact with you over their concerns. However,
I would like you to be aware that teachers are still being contacted by parents over similar
concerns and staff are continuing to advise parents to contact you as the superintendent.

One large concern that has been brought to me by staff is that multiple staff members have
perceived some of the actions of Mr. Purnell as retaliatory in nature, and many are concerned
that if I included specific examples with the date(s) and time(s) of what they observed or the
specific comments made to them, that they will face further retaliation from Mr. Purnell. There
are staff members who have flat out said they are “afraid of Mr. Purnell” due to how he has been
treating staff members.

Due to the behavior of Mr. Purnell, many staff members feel that the environment of Prospect
Charter School has become, in the words of several members, “toxic.” Several staff members,
including several long-time teachers with the district, are considering leaving for positions at
other districts due to the actions of Mr. Purnell and no longer feel safe within our school.

While our school has a lot of room to grow, creating an environment where our staff members
are fearful to come to school every day is not conducive to an educational environment. We need
a dramatic change regarding the concerns of our staff to best serve our students and deliver the
education that our students deserve.

If any further instances of such behavior occur, the EA will immediately bring them to the
attention of the District and/or the School Board as appropriate. Also, I am concerned as I am in
uncharted territory with many of these staff concerns. Do I need to report any of these concerns
to parents, DHS, TSPC, BOLI, EEOC, the School Board as a whole, or any other regulatory
agencies? The more I hear from staff the more concerned I am that, at a minimum, a potential
ethical educator violation needs to be reported to TSPC. Is that accurate, and would that come
from you as the school district representative? I want to make sure everything I’m doing is legal
so that this situation does not become worse than it already is. Our hope is that you will resolve
this yourself, which will allow employees to avoid going to the School board, BOLI, EEOC,
filing a grievance, et cetera.

Please let me know if you have any questions, and what your timeline for this investigation into
these matters will be. I’m hopeful we can move quickly. As we previously discussed, some staff
are talking about votes of no confidence and other actions, and once we go down those roads I
believe relationships would be irreparably harmed and any damage could not be undone.

Thank you in advance for your time.

Sincerely,

Janet Yakopatz
PEA President

C.C.
Ray Williams – Prospect School Board Chair
Daniel Burdis – OEA Consultant