Monroe School District superintendent placed on leave amid protests over racism, equity

MONROE, Wash. - Less than a week after students walked out of Monroe High School in protest of ongoing concerns over racism, equity and how the school district's leadership has handled those concerns, the superintendent is on leave.

According to the Monroe School Board President, Dr. Justin Blasko has been placed on administrative leave. Kim Whitworth, the district's Chief Academic Officer will take over his responsibilities as "Acting Superintendent." The district also brought in a third-party investigator to look into complaints and incidents of racism.

"We take all reports of harassment, intimidation, bullying, racism and discrimination very seriously and are committed to providing a safe, inclusive environment for all of our staff and students, free of all forms of discrimination," wrote Jennifer Bumpus via e-mail.

In addition to a student walk-out on Monday, a number of current employees spoke up during the public comment section of the latest school board meeting.

Robyn Hayashi, a middle school teacher who serves as the head of the union that represents staff at Monroe School District, was among those who publicly called on Dr. Blasko to step down, or for the school board to remove him.

Hayashi told FOX 13 that the Monroe Education Association had been asking for equity training for more than a decade—instead, she said the district turned a blind eye as the situation grew worse.

Over the past two months, FOX 13 has reported on a number of issues within the district. These include: a student who was called the n-word on a now-viral video, an 11-year-old who quit attending class because of ongoing alleged racism that his parents say went unaddressed, and a high school principal that was temporarily put on leave after using racial slurs while attempting to educate students in a Zoom assembly.

"We are asking for a change of leadership," said Hayashi. "The only way we can move forward is new leadership. We're seeing hate creep up in our school, it's becoming visible. So, it's obvious to us that we need to do something now."

According to the District, they're investigating concerns that were raised during this week's school board meeting on Monday, December 13th. A vote was held this week behind a closed-door executive session to review Dr. Blasko's performance—details of the particulars discussed have not been released.

This is a developing story, stick with FOX 13 News for the latest information as it becomes available.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Monroe school union president calls on superintendent to step down over district's racism allegations

RELATED: Monroe students walk out in protest over racism allegations

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