Lawsuit against Sewickley Academy alleges race discrimination

The former director of admissions and financial aid at Sewickley Academy is suing the private school in federal court alleging race discrimination in a recent purge of administrators there.

Douglas Leek, who holds a doctoral degree in education and is Black, said that, despite a strong performance evaluation earlier this year, he was fired on July 21 — the same day four other administrators were terminated.

On July 1, the former head of school, Kolia O’Connor, departed in what Sewickley Academy called a mutual decision.

Then on July 21, the interim head, Ashley Birtwell, who was a member of the board of trustees, announced the termination of Leek, as well as the school’s director of diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice; the head of the senior school; the head of the lower school; the director of teaching and learning and a fifth-grade teacher.

That leaves the private Sewickley school with no Black administrators, the complaint said.

“The irony is they fired the administrators for a program they didn’t even put in,” said attorney Sam Cordes, who represents Leek. “It’s a program the board put in.”

According to the lawsuit, the school’s board of trustees in April adopted “diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice initiatives to accurately teach and address issues of racial intolerance and injustice in society.”

Among the goals of the new program, the complaint said, were to “achieve representation among SA’s students, faculty and staff that reflects the diversity of the region, particularly among those who have been historically unrepresented,” and to “improve lived experience” of that same population.

At the time, O’Connor promoted the new program as a “path forward to justice and equality,” the lawsuit said.

However, according to the complaint, around June 1, a group of school parents, who called themselves the Sewickley Parents Organization, wrote to school families and leaders calling the social justice initiative “Critical Race Theory dressed in sheep’s clothing,” the lawsuit said.

The organization argued that the program was not consistent with a focus on academic excellence, and instead said it was a product of the Southern Poverty Law Center, “which it characterized as a ‘highly political’ organization that opposes white supremacy in school and teacher education, curricula, school discipline policies, school facilities, and classroom climates,” the complaint said.

According to the parents’ group website, their mission “is to ensure Sewickley Academy delivers academic excellence, offers a diverse and inclusive environment, attracts, retains, and celebrates the best faculty in the country, provides a curriculum and culture free of ideological agenda, and makes certain that parents have a powerful voice in the direction of the school.”

Following the letter from the group, the lawsuit alleged that the board of trustees reached out to see what those parents wanted. It was then, the complaint said, that the social justice initiative goals were removed from the school’s website, and a short time later O’Connor was removed as the head of school, replaced by Birtwell.

According to the complaint, Birtwell had conversations with a parent after that in which she “expressed a commitment ‘to restore the school to what it used to be.’”

Birtwell did not return a message seeking comment on Wednesday afternoon.

On July 21, Leek and four other administrators and one teacher were fired. The lawsuit alleges that Leek, who has nearly 20 years of experience working at all levels of education, was replaced on Tuesday by a white woman.

According to the lawsuit, in Leek’s first full year, he enrolled the most students of the last three years.

In addition, in his March performance evaluation, he was commended for his work, the lawsuit said, including for his “overall leadership of the school.”

When he was fired, the complaint said, Birtwell said it was for Leek’s performance, which she said meant “ ‘current low enrollment.’ ”

“Defendant has sustained low enrollment for 16 years,” the lawsuit said. “Birtwell told Dr. Leek she was ‘brought on to move the school in a new direction.’

“Defendant’s ‘performance’ reason is pretextual, and defendant knows it is,” the lawsuit said.

In addition to a claim of race discrimination, the lawsuit also alleges breach of contract.

Sewickley Academy issues statement

A school spokeswoman said she couldn’t comment on the pending lawsuit but issued a written statement Wednesday night:

“Sewickley Academy is laser focused on enhancing our educational experience for students and families, as well as overall enrollment. Based on research-driven recommendations by our Board and Trustees and direct and ongoing input from our stakeholders, we determined that a series of targeted leadership changes were necessary to ensure our world-class institution is positioned for continued educational excellence and success.

As part of this meaningful change geared toward educational excellence, several highly talented Sewickley Academy educators and administrative professionals have been elevated to new leadership roles at the school, replacing former colleagues who have moved on.

Sewickley Academy is and always has been committed to fostering a safe and inclusive environment for students and families of every race, color, creed, religion, and sexual orientation, and ultimately provide an experience that delivers academic excellence. The Academy’s new leadership is committed to being responsive to all of our stakeholders and will work diligently toward the shared goal of ensuring all students and families feel welcomed and engaged.

On behalf of the new Sewickley Academy leadership team, we’re eager to listen to members of our community, answer questions, and work collaboratively with each other toward solutions that embrace our values and position Sewickley Academy for continued success.”