Eighteen RPS employees call for removal of human resources chief

Eighteen Richmond Public Schools employees are asking for the removal of the division’s human resources chief, accusing her of creating a hostile work environment, discriminating against employees of color, violating division policy and law and being unqualified for her job. 

“During the span of my entire career, I have witnessed and experienced plenty of discriminatory behavior before, but I have never, until now, filed a formal complaint or not been able to quickly come to a resolution,” wrote Director of Employee Relations Sandra Lee in one of a dozen letters asking RPS to fire Chief Talent Officer Maggie Clemmons. 

Alyssa Schwenk, a spokesperson for the division, said RPS cannot comment on the allegations because of legal requirements to protect employee privacy. 

However, she said in an email, “RPS takes all employee grievances and allegations of workplace misconduct seriously, and follows all applicable policies and procedures for reporting and investigation.” 

Clemmons directed an email asking for comment to Schwenk. 

Several of the complaints, which are described in 58 pages of letters compiled by the Richmond Education Association and were presented to the School Board at its meeting Tuesday, have already gone through the division’s internal review process and have been dismissed or are currently undergoing review. 

According to those documents, at least three grievances have been filed with RPS related to Clemmons. Additionally, Lee — who previously served in Clemmons’ role before asking to transfer to a less senior position following a medical leave of absence — and Director of Benefits and Compensation Alyson Davis have filed a discrimination complaint against her with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. 

Federal law prohibits the EEOC from publicly releasing records of employment discrimination charges that have been filed with it prior to the opening of any legal action. 

While several of the complaints brought before the School Board concern the division’s Finance Department, which does not fall under the supervision of the Talent Office, most focus on Clemmons. 

Among the most serious of the allegations are claims that Clemmons has given preferential treatment to white employees and in one instance “mocked” a staff member’s accent when she said the word “ninth.” 

“It has been increasingly clear that she has been dismissing African American staff to hire younger white staff, especially those who know her,” wrote human resources associate Bernice Lewis, who also spoke before the board Tuesday. “She has hired friends and neighbors, all of whom are white, and has violated protocol on multiple occasions to make their experience easier. These staff members are being placed at significantly higher steps than veteran African American women, despite not having the same level of experience.”

Other complaints allege Clemmons retaliated against employees who raised concerns about her to other division leadership, fostered a “toxic” work environment that led some staff members to go on medical leave due to stress and in one case badgered an employee to submit her resignation while the employee was out on leave because her husband was dying.

Several argue Clemmons was unqualified to lead the Talent Office, which oversees hiring, firing, benefits, compensation and employee and labor relations for the more than 5,000 people employed by RPS. 

As some of the staffers presented their allegations to the School Board Tuesday night, numerous other RPS employees in the audience held up signs reading “Solidarity with the Talent Office” and “Solidarity with the Finance Department.” 

A former teacher and school administrator, Clemmons came to RPS in August 2023 from the Virginia Department of Education, where she had been serving as the director of licensure and school leadership. She had also previously worked in Chesterfield as an assistant to the superintendent and early in her career did a stint with the Virginia House of Delegates. 

As chief talent officer, Clemmons has had to oversee numerous high-pressure changes the division has implemented, including the continuation of salary decompression and the negotiation of collective bargaining agreements after the School Board voted to embrace the practice in 2021.