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Two Liberty Public School employees under fire for inappropriate behavior

Posted at 10:17 PM, Aug 13, 2018
and last updated 2018-08-14 10:21:22-04

MOUNDS, Okla. -- Parents in the small town of Mounds are demanding answers from the superintendent after serious allegations regarding two faculty members' behavior were reported nearly five months ago. They're allegedly still employed by the district.

“This is not a bunch of talk. This is real," parent Kim Perner said.

A circle of angry parents surrounded Liberty Public School board members at a meeting Monday night.

Within the first 30 seconds of the meeting, the district made a comment.

"The district will not make any further comments and will not answer any questions," the board president said.

The statement came just hours after 2 Works for You confronted the superintendent in his office.

“When these allegations were made a couple months ago, they were investigated We sought our legal counsel," Liberty Public School Superintendent Jim Gilmartin said. "Based on that counsel we took appropriate action and that’s all I have to say."

This stems from sexual harassment allegations against the high school principal and inappropriate sexual behavior between a student and faculty member.

“Nothing has been done by either individual that we know of," parent Dutch Gillespie said. "So that either says they didn’t do it or they did.”

Quickly after the allegations were made, school board member Donna Laster took to Facebook.

“I stand behind what I said, but I just deleted it because I want our community to stand together.”

One parent wrote a letter asking to speak at the board meeting. That request was denied by the superintendent.

“If you have the principal of the high school being accused of sexual harassment, that’s not a personal issue," Perner said.

Two former employees sent 2 Works for You letters.

The first was a counselor who claims the principal asked if she would consider dating him if he wasn’t married that he couldn't stop staring at her low-cut blouse.

The second was from a secretary for the principal. She claims the principal would gawk and stare at female students breasts.

Both former employees claim they left the district because of the sexual harassment claims and say now the responsibility lies in the hands of the school board and superintendent.

"We as parents have a right to know if they are clear or if they have been reprimanded," Gillespie said. "Then we can decide whether it’s right or wrong, because then as parents we can elect school board officials that will say whether the superintendent did or didn’t do his job.”

With no answers Monday night, parents will continue to fight.

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