Back in July of 2021, I was asked by the father of BPS Assistant Superintendent Sam Stine if I would be willing to volunteer mowing lawns and athletic fields at Bridgman Public Schools. The father said that by volunteering, there might be other opportunities for me at BPS but he didn’t elaborate. The reason I was asked to volunteer was because the person who normally mows was working on a new baseball field at the time and so I gladly volunteered.
After a few weeks of mowing, I was approached by Sam Stine directly and was offered the position of Aquatic Director at BPS. Stine was aware that I had extensive experience in operating aquatic centers and that I was an All-American swimmer back in high school. I accepted the offer and began the process of a background check with EduStaff who administrates Substitute Teachers for Public Schools. As part of my job, I was to work directly with a student with Autism which I have experience with.
In order to become a Substitute Teacher, I needed to have an Associate’s Degree or 60 hours of college education. I had dropped out of college the second semester of my junior year when my major was eliminated and that is when I enlisted in the Military. When I applied with Edustaff, I forwarded my Military records which indicated that I had the required Junior year standing. With everything now approved through EduStaff, I was to begin my career at BPS on Monday September 20, 2021. On or about the 17th of September, I received a frantic call from BPS Principal Mr. Gerald Heath informing me that I did not meet the criteria to become a Substitute Teacher. I immediately sensed that something was afoul as why would Mr. Heath be contacting me and not EduStaff with the concerns? As evidence will prove, I was approved by Edustaff to become a Substitute Teacher throughout the Berrien County School Districts and there were no issues with my qualifications.
From my very first day at Bridgman Public Schools, I knew something had happened where BPS wanted me gone. Gerald Heath had already lied about my Substitute Teaching qualifications and there was never a conversation about the Aquatic Director position with Sam Stine. I was relegated to Parapro status making $10.50 hour without any conversation as to what I had been offered by Stine. By early December, I would be removed from Bridgman Public Schools without any form of due-process.
18 US Code Section 242 - Deprevation of Rights Under the Color of Law. On the evening of Thursday December 2, 2021, Reed Middle School Principal John Truesdell called to inform me that I was being placed on Administrative Leave pending an investigation of alleged Professional Misconduct. Truesdell would not give me details of the allegations and he instructed me not to come to work on Friday December 3rd and I so didn't. Truesdell concluded the conversation with saying that I would be paid while on Administrative Leave and that he would get back to me regarding the outcome of the investigation. Truesdell never got back to me because there was never going to be an investigation as BPS would eventually claim that I had quit. The morning after being placed on Administrative Leave, I sent the following email to BPS Superintendent Shane Peters - .
18 US Code Section 242 - Deprevation of Rights Under the Color of Law. On the evening of Thursday December 2, 2021, Reed Middle School Principal John Truesdell called to inform me that I was being placed on Administrative Leave pending an investigation of alleged Professional Misconduct. Truesdell would not give me details of the allegations and he instructed me not to come to work on Friday December 3rd and I so didn't. Truesdell concluded the conversation with saying that I would be paid while on Administrative Leave and that he would get back to me regarding the outcome of the investigation. Truesdell never got back to me because there was never going to be an investigation as BPS would eventually claim that I had quit. The morning after being placed on Administrative Leave, I sent the following email to BPS Superintendent Shane Peters - .
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Shane Peters would not respond to the email.
The following Monday, I received the following email from Edustaff -
My reply to Edustaff regarding the Self Termination
Edustaff would not reply and so I sent the following -
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The MI Attorney General did not reply nor would Matt DePerno.
And This -
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Based on information and belief, I was denied the position of Aquatic Director and Substitute Teacher because of my political beliefs. I also believe that I was forced out because of my accusing Shane Peters of lying to Parents about Critical Race Theory being taught at BPS.
Within a week of Peters stating publicly that CRT wasn’t being taught at BPS, I received the following information in an email sent to all the Teachers and Staff at BPS. The email was marked confidential -
I was placed on Administrative Leave three weeks after posting this image on a FB Page consisting of concerned Parents and a year later, BPS would claim to the MI Department of Labor that I had quit. The secretary for Shane Peters was the person responsible for submitting the false information to the MI Department of Labor regarding my departure.
Peters secretary is also the wife of a BPS Board of Education member.