TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) – Dr. Scott High School Principal Carnell Smith has been accused of sexual harassment by a teacher who recently filed a lawsuit against Dr. Smith and the Toledo City School District Board of Education.

According to court documents, a former Scott High School teacher accused Dr. Smith that he sexually harassed her from August 2017 to April 2023. The teacher was hired by the district in 2004 and worked at Scott High until the end of 2022-2023. the school year. For the 2023-2024 school year, the plaintiff transferred to the TPS Virtual Academy.

In the lawsuit, the plaintiff states that the harassment began on or around August 17, 2017, when Dr. Smith took a picture of her legs/feet, sent the picture and said, “Have a great school year!”

The plaintiff claims that dr. Smith continued to make her uncomfortable by commenting on her appearance and visiting her classroom more than necessary. She claims that during the 2022-2023 school year, the principal’s comments became more extreme and more frequent.

According to the lawsuit, Dr. Smith and the plaintiff got into an argument in March 2023 following an email sent by the plaintiff. Dr. Smith then yelled at her in front of other employees, prompting her to email her union representative.

Shortly after contacting the union representative, the complainant spoke with the interim human resources supervisor at TPS regarding the incident. The complainant also provided examples of times when she was sexually harassed by Dr. Smith.

On April 13, 2023, the plaintiff filed a formal complaint against Dr. Smith, which detailed some of the sexual harassment. Examples provided in the document include Dr. Smith saying she “should wear more skirts” or “was wearing a dress and heels,” among other things.

She also stated in the formal complaint that he made comments to another teacher speculating about her sexual activities/sexual history.

During the investigation of the official complaint, Dr. Smith was allowed to continue working as director. The complainant claims that she was forced to continue working with him during the investigation, even though she stated that she did not feel comfortable working for him.

After the school year, she asked about transferring to another school.

According to the lawsuit, the investigation was turned over to a third-party adjudicator to determine. After reviewing the investigative report, the decision maker concluded that she was sexually harassed during the 2022-2023 school year and that Dr. Smith violated board policy.

After the decision, she tried to return to Scott High School under the assumption that Dr. Smith will no longer be there. However, dr. Smith was not placed on administrative or disciplinary leave and was returning for the 2023-2024 school year.

Because Dr. Smith was not removed, she decided not to return and transferred to the TPS Virtual Academy.

In November 2023, the complainant was informed of the disciplinary board’s decision and was outraged, stating that the board “did not seriously pursue its case against Principal Smith and requested that Principal Smith be subject to only minor discipline.” .

According to the process, the board recommended dr. Smith to participate in the TPS Social-Emotional Learning Program and nothing more.

The plaintiff claims in the lawsuit that she makes less money at the virtual academy than she did when she worked at Scott High School.

According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff is asking the court to award equitable relief as compensation for her job transfer, damages for loss of opportunity to engage in gainful employment, future earnings, humiliation, embarrassment and loss of reputation. She is also seeking back pay with interest, punitive damages and attorneys’ fees.

The full 15-page lawsuit can be seen below.

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