Crockett Alleged to Have Made 'Racially Discriminatory Comments' During School Board Meetings

A hearing is set for June 17, 2013, to decide whether Board of Education member Michael Crockett made "racially discriminatory comments" against another member of the school board. 

According to a letter Board of Education Chairman Chris Pattacini sent to school board members Monday, Crockett will be given the opportunity to "be heard" as to whether he engaged in the alleged conduct at the hearing, and the school board will then decide whether or not it will take any action against Crockett, which could include a public censure (the Board of Education's bylaws include no provisions for removing members for improper conduct). 

According to Pattacini's letter, Crockett is alleged to have made derogatory comments pertaining to Atwater, the only black member of the school board, on three separate occasions, all in the presence of other members of the Board of Education. 

The first instance occurred on Jan. 9, 2013, at a Board of Education budget workshop when Crockett referred to the fact that Atwater was late by stating that he was on "BPT," which he then described to mean "black people time." 

The second instance occurred on March 13, 2013, during a meeting of the school board's Superintendent Search Committee, when Crockett is alleged to have made "comments to a candidate regarding the candidate's race." 

The third instance occurred on May 13, 2013, when Crockett is again alleged to have made comments pertaining to Atwater's lateness by stating that he was running on "BPT" or "CPT," a reference to "colored people time." 

Pattacini's letter states that the school board will likely hold the hearing in confidential executive session, unless Crockett wishes it to be held in public, as required by the state's Freedom of Information Act. Any action taken by the school board, however, would have to be done during an open public session. 

The school board discussed the matter in executive session during a meeting on May 28, 2013, and afterwards approved a motion to hold a hearing into comments Crockett made on three separate occasions. Deborah Hagenow was also implicated in an earlier letter sent by Pattacini, but no action was taken against her by the school board, and school board members have declined to discuss the issue, citing the confidentiality privilege of executive session. 

The hearing is scheduled for June 17, 2013, at 7 p.m. at the Central Office Conference Room at 45 North School St. 

Crockett did not return calls seeking comment for this story.