Senior HR Staff Put On Leave At Evanston Township High School

EVANSTON, IL — Three weeks after Evanston Township High School Superintendent Eric Witherspoon announced the school board would not be extending his contract, the top two officials in the district's human resources office were placed on administrative leave without explanation.

Toya Campbell, chief human resources officer, and Yolanda Hardy, assistant chief human resources officer, have been on paid leave since Oct. 6, according to records provided in response to a public records request.

Both Hardy and Campbell joined the district more than 15 years ago after working together at online grocery delivery service PeaPod, according to online resumes. For the 2020-21 school year, Campbell had the highest base salary in the district, other than Witherspoon, according to the district's administrator compensation report.

Two days before they were placed on leave, the school board convened a special meeting with just one item on its agenda: a closed-door discussion of the hiring, firing, discipline, compensation or performance of specific employees.

The matter was not addressed during open session at the board's Oct. 11 meeting. Nor was it included on the board's personnel agenda. Although the District 202 school board does not include details of personnel changes — like severance agreements, firings or resignations — in its publicly available agenda packets, Evanston Patch obtained some recent memos detailing such actions through a request under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act.

They include matters such as the release of a special education department paraprofessional for "failure to follow directions and adhere to the deadlines of providing a credible Physician's statement to support his absences," and a student success center specialist for "repeat pattern of unprofessional and unacceptable behavior" — but they include no reference to either Campbell or Hardy's positions.

However, at the Oct. 11 meeting, the board did approve the creation of a new position called "associate director of human resources," with annual compensation of $143,000, and appointed an existing employee to fill it.

On Oct. 12, Witherspoon sent a message to school staff notifying them that Campbell was on leave for unspecified reasons.

"To keep our HR office running smoothly in her absence, [Associate Principal] Scott Bramley will be serving as the Acting HR Director," Witherspoon said. "A big thank you goes to Scott for being willing to help out and add this to his responsibilities."

Patch asked Witherspoon Friday whether he or other administrators had been contacted by state or federal law enforcement representatives in connection with a disciplinary matter involving the two senior HR staffers — and whether either of them have yet resigned with a severance deal. The outgoing superintendent has yet to respond.

Patch requested disciplinary records associated with Campbell and Hardy on Oct. 12. State law requires such requests to be released within 10 businesses days — which would have been Tuesday. But David Futransky, the district's executive director of alumni relations and FOIA officer, said the records would not be available until the week of Nov. 8.

The District 202 board is next scheduled to meet for a special meeting Nov. 6. As of Friday, there were no personnel items or settlements on the agenda.

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