Smyrna School District Superintendent Patrik Williams has been placed on leave, though the reason behind the decision remains unknown.
School board members made the decision at a Saturday meeting, which was specially called “in order to address a matter that has arisen suddenly and cannot be deferred to a later date or for seven days,” according to the meeting agenda.
The district has not provided any details as to what that matter was, nor has it offered further information about Williams’ leave.
A “legal disclaimer” posted with the meeting agenda only described the meeting as a “personnel discussion concerning an individual citizen’s qualifications to hold a job.”
In a Monday news release, the district said it cannot comment “due to the constraints imposed upon the District by matters of employee privacy.” The statement also cited Delaware code.
Assistant Superintendent Deborah Judy has been appointed as interim superintendent. She confirmed to Delaware Online/The News Journal that Williams is being paid during his leave of absence.
In the days since Williams was placed on leave, locals – including parents, a Smyrna School Board candidate and Delaware Young Republicans – have taken to social media to speculate.
RELATED:Smyrna High students hold protest after student mural featuring Angela Davis covered up
Donna Austin, a school board candidate, posted on Saturday that residents “deserve transparency and to know why Pat is on PAID administrative leave.”
It’s not clear whether Williams is, in fact, being paid. Judy did not immediately respond to questions regarding pay.
Williams’ leave of absence comes about two weeks after the district was embroiled in scandal after covering up a Smyrna High School student-created mural featuring a quote from political activist Angela Davis.
In protest of the mural’s concealment, students held a peaceful “sit in” on April 14. As a result, the school released students for spring break at 12:30 p.m.
The mural, which was painted by several students “under the supervision of staff,” depicts an image of Davis with the words “I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change … I am changing the things I cannot accept” painted in white letters.
BACKGROUND:Smyrna High School wanted murals that encouraged diversity. Then, they covered one up
The decision to cover up the mural came after an attendee at a school board meeting claimed that Davis’ support of Palestine – as well as the pro-Palestine boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, which seeks to end “Israeli apartheid and settler-colonialism” – was anti-Semitic.
Because of this, displaying a portrait of Davis in Smyrna High School “unwittingly and unintentionally muted and marginalized another valued group in (the) community,” Williams said in a news release at the time.
Students told Delaware Online/The News Journal they were “upset and appalled” by the district’s actions.
Senior Nina VanDunk added that the concealment of the mural was “not the first time that Smyrna School District has tried to sweep the ideas of change and adversity under the rug after somebody in the community complained about it.”
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She said that someone spoke to the board last year after a teacher put Black Lives Matter signs on their classroom door for a decorating contest. Now, she said teachers are not allowed to promote the movement, even in support of their students.
A day after the protest, Williams sent out another news release saying the mural would be “restored to view” as a timetable was created for various groups to meet to “discuss a student-created mural inclusive of the painting of Angela Davis, as well as paintings of other, mutually agreed upon figures.”
Got a story tip or idea? Send to Isabel Hughes at ihughes@delawareonline.com. For all things breaking news, follow her on Twitter at @izzihughes_
