Detroit Board of Education Files Title 6 Complaint

April 28, 2015

Detroit, MI - Mr. Herman Davis, President of the Detroit Board of Education, and fellow Board members filed Title 6 complaints with Barbara McQuade of the Department of Justice. This decision came from the Board having been advised of serious complaints of abuse, misuse, fraud, and conflict of interest. This complaint was filed with the hopes of summoning a Grand Jury investigation to expose the wrongdoings of the Governor and his Emergency Managers, including, but not limited to:

• The creation of two separate and unequal school systems, one with primarily Caucasian students and the other primarily Black and Latino students.
• Emergency Managers making unilateral decisions, entering into no-bid contracts while voters, employees, students, taxpayers, and parents suffer the decisions and mismanagement of funds and resources.
• Issues that include: not filing for Federal grants for Head Start in a timely manner; anomalies and misusing of funds including a $50,000 bonus to the Detroit Public School Emergency Manager the  formation of the EAA, which denies poor children breakfast when children must travel great distances to school by city bus and, if the bus is late, arrive at school to locked doors, returning home without food or school; closing the newly renovated Southwestern High School; the creation of a community-wide deficit of appropriate learning atmospheres for special education students.; giving a nearly half million dollar contract to the Chancellor of the EAA to oversee the education of 7,000 of the poorest children in the nation; and making null and void actions of the elected board to request a Federal Investigation of possible illegal activities by the Emergency Manager.

Mr. Davis is continuing to collect affidavits of Detroit citizens, including parents, students, and teachers who work in Detroit that have been harmed, in which they check the item that identifies the harm to which they were exposed. He is also seeking complainants willing to give testimony. (See next page for form.)

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TITLE 6 COMPLAINT FORM FOR COMPLAINANTS HARMED BY MICHIGAN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

DATE____________NAME__________________________________ ADDRESS ____________________________________

CITY _____________________________ STATE _____­­___ PHONE ____________________

__ I wish the DOJ to keep my name AND info, given above, anonymous, and not reveal it without my written permission.

Governor Rick Snyder created two separate and unequal school systems. Both systems receive Federal funds. One system is primarily Caucasian students. In this system, authority over schools, BOTH public and charter, BOTH high performing and low performing resides with the State School Superintendent and State Board of Education as well as locally elected boards. Locally elected boards are provided with necessary resources to perform the functions of the position they were elected to. This discourages conflicts of interest, competitive bidding. Resources like training and professional assistance benefits and taxpayers students and helps ensure trust. Elected boards suffer no retaliation for meeting or requesting help from the Federal resources.

The other system is primarily Black and Latino students. In this system, authority over schools both public and charter, both high performing and low performing, resides with the Governor, his appointed administrators known as Emergency Managers which supersede locally elected boards, and state contractors who have sometimes been appointed to boards and able to vote for contracts to themselves. There is little or no competitive bidding. Locally elected boards are not provided with necessary resources to perform the duties expected by voters. This includes resources as simple as use of a multi-page copy machine and as important as notice about contracts the school district enters into. The elected board suffers from retaliation for meeting and requesting help from the Department of Justice. Under the direction of the Governor, Emergency Managers make unilateral decisions, enter into no bid contracts while voters, employees, students, tax payers and parents suffer the decisions, mismanagement of funds and resources, errors and retaliation. This includes but is not limited to:

- Not filing for Federal grants for Head Start in a timely manner.

- Detroit Public School Emergency Audits anomalies and misuse of funds. A $50,000 bonus to the Detroit Public School Emergency Manager for himself, to himself while the district suffers a deficit.

-Formation of the EAA which denies children poor children breakfast when children must travel great distances to school by city bus and if the bus is late, come to school to locked doors and must return home without school or food.

-The Emergency Manager closing a newly renovated Southwestern High School, (construction tax payers are still paying for) while an investor agreed to pay $1,000,000 for the property, the property was not secured, and vandals ruined the building, of which the buyer withdrew.

-Forcing Detroit Public School Board members to file FOIA for information about the Detroit Public Schools.

-Malfeasance, misfeasance and nonfeasance with contracts, minutes, proposals communicated by the Detroit Board of Education.

-Creating a community-wide deficit of appropriate learning atmospheres for special education students.

-Giving a whopping nearly half million dollar contract to the Chancellor of the EAA, to oversee the education of just 7000 of some of the poorest children in the nation.

- Null and voiding actions of the elected board to request a Federal investigation of possible illegal activities by Emergency Manager.

Responsible Management Officials: Governor Snyder, Darnell Early, Jack Martin, Roy Roberts and others to be determined. Others:__________________________________________________________________________________________________________I represent a Parent _ Student _ Tax Payer _ Property Owner _ Voter _ Legislator _ Employee_ Disabled Person _ ESL _ and it is my feeling, because of the color, ethnicity and race of the majority of the students, employees and tax payers et al, like me, who utilize this system, the Governor has acted egregiously, discriminatorily, and negligently, causing harm to the community through his interference and creation of schools which now operate in a manner under his authority, which is abusive, destructive, separate, and unequal. And, I was personally harmed when/because ________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________ Additional Information Attached ____

I’m joining the Detroit School Board Title 6 Complaint Yes__ No __ My actual costs and/or financial losses are $_________

and My compensatory damages for pain and suffering are $300,000. Yes____ -or- No _____ Another amount $_________

Signature _________________________________________________

Parent or Representative Signature _________________________________________________

(Please return the Title 6 Complaint Forms as soon as possible to Herman Davis at hermand8@sbcglobal.net, or call 313-354-6708. We look to attract 200-300 Plaintiffs, and or supporters, Tuesday April 28, 2015, @ 10am at the Federal Building 477 Mich. Ave. We need to get the Fed’s involved). Call friends and family, get them out.