Champaign Asst. Principal faces uncertain future, personnel files outline performance milestones and disciplinary actions

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — The last few months have been anything but smooth sailing at the Champaign School District.

Board members have resigned, the Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul is investigating a possible Open Meetings Act violation and there has been unsteady administrative leadership at Booker T. Washington STEM Academy.

WCIA has obtained the personnel documents of Rebecca Ramey, the school’s assistant principal. They outline anything ranging from disciplinary action to performance milestones over the last few years.

Back in September 2023, shots were fired outside of Booker T. Washington. Since then, parents have had questions regarding the administrators’ employment status at the school. Most recently focused around Ramey.

On March 11, Ramey filed a charge of discrimination with the Illinois Department of Human Rights against the district. WCIA obtained it, and it outlines a meeting Ramey had with district officials on March 13. That meeting was set before the charge was filed.

Asst. principal files discrimination charge against Champaign school district, reassigned to new school

In the March 13 meeting, Ron Langacker, Ramey’s lawyer, said the district leaders told his client she was being relocated to Kenwood Elementary. The reasoning? He said they told her it was because of “the issue with your wife,” who is a teacher at BTW.

Here’s the catch, there is nothing listed in the personnel file about her wife. Instead, it shows Ramey is a tenured employee. She earned that status in August 2021.

Flash forward two years to May 26, 2023, when the file shows there was a meeting between Ramey and Dr. Laura Taylor, the district’s deputy superintendent. That was regarding a 5th-grade collaboration meeting on March 30, 2023.

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During that meeting, the document within the file shows a teacher reported Ramey making threatening statements and raising her voice. When Dr. Taylor asked Ramey about it, she first said she didn’t remember parts of the interaction she was being accused of.

After the district met with a number of teachers to investigate, they gave her directives for the future. Ramey also planned to apologize to those who were in the room.

Attorney General investigating alleged Open Meetings Act violation by Champaign school district

Then, a few months later in the fall, there was another incident. The Champaign School District said Ramey improperly administered medicine to a student. As a result, she was suspended for five days. But, as the charge of discrimination shows, Jaime Roundtree, Booker T. Washington’s principal, recommended a written warning for the violation and found the unpaid suspension excessive.

Langacker said Roundtree has been on personal leave from the school but is now “happy to be back in the building.”

Again, there is nothing that mentions Ramey’s wife in the file. It is important to note, WCIA filed for these documents before the meeting where she was reassigned. Our news team has requested more documents and should know more details within a week.

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