LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Spencer County Public Schools Superintendent Chuck Adams was accused of sexually harassing a teacher in a lawsuit filed Wednesday.
The woman, who was hired by the district in October 2018, claimed in the filing against the Spencer County Board of Education that she attracted unwanted attention from Adams shortly after she began teaching, saying he began visiting her classroom at least three times a month shortly after her hiring.
She also claimed in the lawsuit that the school board knew about the alleged situation in April and did nothing to resolve it. She had been directed to file a written complaint, but she said in the lawsuit that such procedures are not detailed in district policies she received.
Thomas Clay, the woman's attorney, declined an interview request. A legal representative could not immediately be reached for comment through a message left with the Spencer County Public Schools office Thursday.
Jeanie Stevens, the school board's chairperson, declined to comment on the lawsuit.
While the woman is named in court records, WDRB News does not identify alleged victims of sexual harassment.
The teacher said in the lawsuit that her conversations with Adams were "rarely" about her work, claiming Adams asked about her spring break plans and whether she was still dating a previous boyfriend in 2019.
"When Plaintiff told Mr. Adams that they were no longer together, Mr. Adams responded saying he couldn't believe it because Plaintiff's contagious smile would be enough for him," the lawsuit reads.
The superintendent later began reaching out to her on her personal cell phone through calls and text messages, even though she did not give him her number, according to the lawsuit.
"Plaintiff took a personal day on November 25, 2019, and received a text message from Mr. Adams asking how she was feeling," the filing says. "When Plaintiff did not respond, Mr. Adams sent another message saying 'Now that you know this is the superintendent, you have no excuse not to respond.'"
The woman claimed the assistant principal of the district's preschool program told her to "watch out because he is after you" after they discussed the situation, according to the lawsuit.
The teacher claimed the unwanted attention she received from Adams escalated once in-person instruction resumed at Spencer County Public Schools in September, a month after Adams' wife filed for divorce in Shelby Circuit Court, according to the lawsuit and other court records.
At one point, the woman claimed Adams approached her on the sideline while she was coaching soccer. In another instance during the 2020-21 school year, she said in the suit that Adams called her twice while she was taking leave related to COVID-19 and sent her a text message saying, "Girl… you best be answering your phone so I can check on you."
The lawsuit claimed she could not find Adams's number in the calls and text messages listed on her phone bills when she reviewed them on April 10. The woman said in the filing that an AT&T representative told her people can block their phone numbers so they do not appear on bills.
Once she returned to her classroom from COVID-19 leave, she said Adams frequented her room almost every day and sought her out at boys basketball games, according to the lawsuit.
The woman claimed he offered her a ride and a ticket to one of the team's away games and, in other instances, grabbed her foot while walking by her at a game and reached into a box of candy she was holding and touched her hand while at another game.
In another instance according to the lawsuit, Adams sent her a text message saying, "Missed you at the board meeting tonight," when she did not attend a school board meeting in March. The superintendent reportedly told another teacher at that meeting, "The last person you brought with you was a lot prettier," in reference to the plaintiff, according to the lawsuit.
The teacher claimed she advised her superiors of the situation and that members of the school board were aware as well, saying she received a call from Stevens, chairperson of the school board, about the matter on April 6. That's a day after she met with Taylorsville Elementary School's principal and the district's personnel manager to discuss the situation, according to the lawsuit.
"(Stevens) didn't really know what was going on, but she said 'I can't believe it because he has always been so friendly to you and your family,'" the lawsuit reads. "Plaintiff responded that she had talked to a lawyer and had been told not to discuss anything at this time."
The district's personnel manager told the woman to file a written grievance before action could be taken, but the teacher said in the lawsuit that is not in policies the personnel manager sent to her. The lawsuit claimed Adams was told to stay away from the teacher and visited Taylorsville Elementary a few times afterward, including coming outside the building while she worked the carpool line on April 9.
The school board "knew of the sexual harassment by Superintendent Chuck Adams and failed to implement prompt and appropriate corrective action and, in fact, compounded Plaintiff's damages by not taking steps to remove Superintendent Adams from her work area," the lawsuit reads.
That lawsuit seeks compensatory damages, attorney's fees, injunctive relief, and either judgment against the school board or a jury trial.
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