(The Lion) — A St. Louis-area superintendent has been placed on leave after two former district principals accused him of punishing them for rebuffing his sexual advances.
Both plaintiffs in the separate suits were formerly principals at McCluer North High School, part of the Ferguson-Florissant School District (FFSD), according to copies of the lawsuits at local KSDK 5 News.
One plaintiff, Frank Williams, was named the district’s Principal of the Year for 2020-21 and had one of the highest annual performance ratings in north St. Louis County for the 2022-23 school year, according to the suit.
Williams alleges in the legal filing made in the Circuit Court of St. Louis County that FFSD Superintendent Joseph Davis used sexual innuendo in asking the principal to “mentor” a colleague not associated with FFSD.
The lawsuit also said Davis later touched him inappropriately and suggested he “mentor” Williams “using the same sexual innuendo as before.”
“When it was clear Plaintiff would not engage with Dr. Davis outside of work matters, Dr. Davis retaliated by alleging concerns with Plaintiff’s school,” reads the nine-page lawsuit.
Davis used chronic student fighting at the district’s high schools as an excuse to withhold resources and raise concerns about Williams’ job performance, according to the filing.
A similar pattern is alleged in the other lawsuit.
In the 12-page lawsuit, former McCluer High School Principal Cedric Gerald alleges Davis discriminated against him after the then-principal refused Davis’s sexual advances during after-hour session “happy hours” he was required to attend.
Subsequently, “Dr. Davis began withholding resources and assistance from Plaintiff’s school,” says the lawsuit.
Davis, according to the suit, used an escalating number of fights at the high school as an excuse to punish Gerald. FFSD has been rocked by fights in schools since the COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020.
In a December 2023 report, KSDK quoted Davis as saying there were 184 fights at FFSD high schools in 2022. By December 2023 that number had risen to 257, said Davis.
Davis blamed some of the district parents, as well as Gerald, for the violence.
“In some cases, parents have crossed the line, came to our schools, and fought our students on school buses. This is unreal,” the superintendent told KSDK. “We need our community to help us solve this community problem.”
In his lawsuit, Gerald alleges violations of the Missouri Human Rights Act by Davis and the school district.
“Perhaps one of the most disturbing things about this situation is it’s happening in a school system,” Lauren Sierra, a lawyer from Jungle Law, who is representing both plaintiffs, told KSDK about the sexual harassment charges.
The district unequivocally denied any wrongdoing, though taking steps to look into it.
“The District denies the allegations made in the lawsuit and looks forward to the opportunity to vigorously defend itself in court,” the board said in a statement made to local Fox 2 News. “Although the Board of Education is eager to provide a more detailed response to these allegations, it is limited in doing so at this time because it involves both personnel and legal matters.”
But later the school board met in executive session, afterward agreeing to place Davis on leave and appoint a third-party to conduct an independent investigation.
The board’s subsequent comments took more of a wait-and-see tone in a statement to KSDK.
“Superintendent Dr. Joseph Davis has been placed on administrative leave effective immediately, pending an investigation regarding personnel matters,” said the board. “The Board takes allegations seriously and plans to engage an external party to conduct an independent investigation. More details will be provided once the investigator is selected.”
The district has appointed co-superintendents to oversee the schools pending the outcome of the investigation.
