HOLLYWOOD, Floa. – The principal of a middle school in Hollywood is in hot water over allegations of sexual harassment. During a school board meeting on Wednesday, many in the room wanted to know if the allegations are proven true, why aren’t more serious actions being taken against the educator?
According to school officials, a campus security monitor at Driftwood Middle School said principal Steven Williams made unwanted sexual advances, not once, but multiple times between 2018 and 2020.
Many were sounding off at the Wednesday meeting.
“This is troubling for me because as a board member, if we are saying that it’s just-cause on this specific inappropriate behavior then for me a demotion would be the minimum we would consider,” she said. “Any scenario where this person gets a 10-day suspension, comes back and is still the head administrator at this location, puts the victim in the same position.”
The reaction came after a decision was made to throw out the professional standards committee that had recommended demoting Williams. Instead, they opted for a 10-day suspension.
Roosevelt Bradshaw has a son in the school and said that the allegations are concerning
“This is absolutely absurd,” Bradshaw said.
Board members noted that the evidence and the consistency surrounding the evidence is lacking. The board did make a bold statement about sexual harassment saying the district will be cracking down even more in light of recent allegations.
Sarah M. Leonardi, a board member, said “I think we need to look at how we deal with sexual harassment.”
The conversation surrounding what is going to happen regarding Williams will be continuing during the next school board meeting. The middle school principal has been reassigned as district administrator, an action that was put into place in August of 2020.