Racial Discrimination Preceded Wayland Superintendent's Forced Leave: Complaint

WAYLAND, MA — Wayland Superintendent Omar Easy has filed a complaint with the Massachusetts Commission on Discrimination that alleges a pattern of racial harassment by the school committee and other town employees, and sheds light on events that led to Easy suddenly being placed on leave Wednesday.

Easy's MCAD complaint filed Friday says the school committee placed him on involuntary leave during a closed meeting Wednesday night. That involuntary leave came weeks after Easy — the district's first-ever Black superintendent — notified the school committee about a pattern of "unlawful discrimination and retaliation" he experienced since his hiring in early 2021.

On Jan. 19 "I provided the School Committee with written details of my complaints of unlawful discrimination and retaliation. In retaliation and without advance notice or explanation, less than three weeks later the School Committee removed me from my position," the MCAD filing said.

In the filing, Easy details multiple incidents where he experienced various forms of discrimination — including the most public incident: the phrase "Omar = N----r" spray-painted near the entrance to the high school in December. But there were other similar incidents in the district.

"In or about December 2021, we found graffiti including: 'N----R,' 'BLACK PEOPLE DIE' and 'ALL BLACK PEOPLE NEED TO LEAVE THE DISTRICT NOW.' After suggesting that cameras be placed in the school’s halls — a measure already taken at the high school — I was accused of 'destroying Wayland’s culture' and 'bringing Everett culture to Wayland' — a thinly veiled racist reference to my majority-minority hometown and prior employer," the MCAD filing says.

Easy also endured racial stereotypes in interactions with town and district staff. In one email attached to the complaint, a town employee referred to Easy as a "thug and a destroyer."

"We have dealt with 4 Superintendents and all but you have not been collaborative and helpful. Not you, you are a destroyer of relationships, and of goals of this town," the August email to Easy said.

Easy's complaint says the school committee — in particular Chair Chris Ryan and Vice Chair Ellen Greico — played a key role in allowing discrimination. The filing says many incidents involved racial stereotypes, like that Black men are more aggressive.

In November, the committee held an open meeting at Easy's request to discuss complaints made against him about an October meeting of district administrators. Ryan said he had received about seven complaints about Easy being hostile. The committee was set to vote to suspend him while an outside investigator conducted an inquiry into the meeting. Instead, they voted — with member Erin Gibbons abstaining — to keep Easy in the job while conducting the investigation.

The MCAD filing says the investigation into the October incident did not turn up any wrongdoing.

"On or about Jan. 18, 2023, upon information and belief the School Committee learned that its outside attorney found no evidence that I had engaged in misconduct. Rather than publicize this fact, the School Committee kept these findings secret and allowed the public cloud over me to persist," the filing said.

The school committee members have not responded to multiple written and verbal requests for comment since Wednesday. Instead, the committee issued a joint statement Saturday evening — the first statement since Easy was put on leave.

"The school committee is aware of a complaint filed with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination by Wayland Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Omar Easy," the statement said. "As this is a pending legal matter, we are unable to comment on the specific allegations. However, the school committee wishes to reiterate that the Wayland Public Schools seeks to foster a welcoming, inclusive, anti-racist environment; our actions have and will continue to demonstrate a commitment to those principles. We are asking the members of our school community for their patience during this time."

Easy's attorneys, David Brody and Daniel Lampke, declined comment on his behalf.

Easy's filing will trigger a process that will involve the district responding to the complaint, typically followed by a full MCAD investigation. If the investigation finds discrimination occurred, the two sides may move into private dispute resolution. But some cases proceed to a public hearing that resembles a court trial. MCAD filings are typically confidential until they reach the public hearing phase.

Here's the MCAD complaint filed by Easy. The document contains images that depict racism.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said that an email referring to Easy as a "thug" was from a district staffer. The email was sent by a town of Wayland employee.