South Carolina School District Sued By First Black Woman Superintendent

The lawsuit alleged the newly elected, white board members harassed, bullied, and micromanaged Dr. Thomas

Dr. Ameca Thomas, former superintendent of Laurens County School District 55, and the first Black woman appointed to the role, filed a lawsuit against the district after newly elected board members allegedly created a hostile work environment because of her race as a Black American.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by Fox Carolina, the alleged discrimination began in January 2021 after the new board members were elected to the district. The suit claims white board members carried out “systematic weekly and monthly efforts to solicit employee and parent complaints with the Board of Trustees and South Carolina Department of Education against” Dr. Thomas and “mounted a campaign publicly” to undermine Black administrators who had been hired under her. Actions stated in the lawsuit accused board members of interference with district operations, violation of board member conduct policy, harassment and bullying Black employees, micromanagement, and undermining Dr. Thomas’ decisions and authority. Patterns of the alleged racial discrimination caused the 47-year-old Laurens County native “anxiety, stress, humiliation, embarrassment, and mental anguish,” which led her to report the alleged actions to human resources.

Donald Gist, an attorney for Dr. Thomas, addressed rumors in 2023 that spread throughout the community about a possible termination of her role as superintendent. Supporters, community members, and activists gathered in February 2023 to address the matter and speak on behalf of the educator. Freedom Fighters called her “a stellar example of high academic achievement,” according to Fox Carolina. Board of Trustee member Anthony Carpenter said, “It’s all about race. There is no doubt about it. It’s all about race. She hasn’t done anything to deserve any of the accusations,” per WYFF News 4.

Gist said the rumored termination from the district would be illegal and a mistake.

After holding several positions with the public school district as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, director of testing and accountability, and assistant superintendent of teaching and learning, Dr. Thomas was elected to serve as superintendent beginning July 1, 2020. During her time in the role, she supervised approximately 9 schools, 5,442 students, and 400 teachers and staff. She consistently received “proficient” and “exceptional” ratings from the school district during annual reviews and earned several accolades like Teacher of the Year, National Superintendents to Watch by the National School Public Relations Association, Superintendent of the Year by South Carolina Alliance of Black School Educators, and the National District Administration 2024 Districts of Distinction Award.

https://twitter.com/AmecaThomas/status/1558702596805824513

The educator, an alumna of Laurens District 55 High School, resigned from the position as superintendent in January 2024, following a three-hour school board meeting in February 2023. On January 16, 2024, Dr. Thomas moved into a new role as the Chief Executive Officer of GLEAMNS Human Resources Commission, Inc. where she was elected by a unanimous vote to enhance the commission’s programs and partnerships.