UPDATE: Bell County Schools attorney denies discrimination claim
Ruling opens door for lawsuits
UPDATE POSTED 5 P.M. DEC. 22, 2021
BELL COUNTY, Ky. (WTVQ) – The attorney representing the Bell County School District denied the district discriminated against two potential principal candidates despite a ruling from the Equal Opportunity Commission.
When asked about the ruling, which was first reported by WTVQ ABC 36 News, Superintendent Tom Gambrel deferred questions to attorney Chris Douglas, who told WRIL radio, “The Bell County Board of Education strenuously denies that it discriminated against anyone in any way shape or form and we look forward to contesting this issue in anyway necessary.”
ORIGINAL STORY POSTED 8 A.M. DEC. 22, 2021
BELL COUNTY, Ky. (WTVQ) – An Eastern Kentucky school district discriminated against two women applicants when it hired a man to a principal post last year, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has ruled.
In determination letters obtained by WTVQ ABC 36 News, the EEOC ruled Bell County and the state Department of Education violated their own policies and state rules when Matthew Gann was hired to be principal at the Bell County Area Technical Center.
In October 2020, the district interviewed two women, both who had principal certifications, and Gann, who did not have his. Gann was hired.
Ironically, one of the women previously was turned down for another job because she wasn’t properly certified. Mediation talks recently failed, clearing the way for the women to sue the district for discrimination.
