Holtville edges Elmore County.
“Trump following history of seduction.”
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The
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THURSDAY • APRIL 21, 2016
TheWetumpkaHerald.com
Vol. 27, No. 16
School board deals with federal discrimination suit By CARMEN RODGERS Staff Writer
A lawsuit has been filed in federal court and a complaint made to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against the Elmore County School Board by an employee over allegations of racially discriminatory hiring practices and retaliation. The charges were made by a Holley O’Dell, 42, and brought against a total of four defendants in the School Board – its superintendent, Andre Harrison, and three of O’Dell’s supervisors. The case is now pending in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of
Alabama Northern Division. The suit includes 19 pages worth of accusations that were presented to the court by O’Dell’s attorneys at the Montgomery law firm McPhillips Shinbaum and detail her accounts over a roughly two-year period. There were three counts brought against the School Board and presented in the suit: race discrimination, retaliation and a cold and hostile work environment. An email response from Superintendent Andre Harrison said, “We are in the process of reviewing the complaint and cannot comment on the ongoing litigation.”
One of O’Dell’s attorney’s, Joseph Guillot, said the EEOC complaint was made Feb. 16, and the suit brought formally against the school board March 30. He said they were awaiting a response and the Board was approaching its 21-day deadline to respond to the court on the allegations. The EEOC response, Guillot said, could take anywhere from three to six months, depending on its investigation. At this time Guillot said the progress of the case is dependent on the schedules presented to the court by the attorneys of the plaintiff, O’Dell, and those of the defendants, Harrison and O’Dell’s
County Schools embrace computer science
Summer food service in Elmore County kids begins at close of year By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer
With the school year coming to a close, any resident of Elmore County can still ensure at least two meals a day for a child 18 years old and under during the months of June and July. On one day last summer there were up to 1,200 children served lunch through the Break For a Plate, Summer Food Service Program, said Kim Smith, the child nutrition director with Elmore County School Board. It is the second year the county has offered the program which is provided by the USDA and the Alabama Department of Education. The program offers breakfast and lunch, free of charge, five days a week, and this year Smith said the service would be expanding to two locations at Stanhope High School and Wetumpka High School. There are very few restrictions on who can access the See SUMMER • Page 2
Today’s
Weather
Carmen Rodgers / The Observer
Bill Garnett and Jimmy K. Lanier stand behind years of trash and debris that has been illegally dumped into the ravine that will soon be part of the new Alabama Forever Wild hiking trails that will follow the old Highline and Lowline Railroad bed.
WALKING THE MILE
Lanier and crew work towards new trail construction By CARMEN RODGERS Staff Writer
Jimmy K. Lanier is at it again, cleaning and clearing land for hikers to enjoy. Lanier and a crew of five men are working hard to clear the walking paths for the Forever Wild trails that will follow the majority of the length of Gold Mine Road where the Highline and Lowline Railroad, which carried needed materials during the construction of Martin Dam, once ran. The railroad system was the most effective and efficient method of carrying the
heavy supplies needed to construct the massive dam. The train tracks made a loop down to the dam. This loop included a total of seven bridges. Today, however, there are no signs of these bridges. This is why the Hiking Association plans on building a suspension bridge for hikers to cross at the exact location where the railroad trestle once stood. “This suspension bridge will be longest suspension bridge this side of the Mississippi,” said Lanier. The total stretch of the suspension bridge See TRAIL • Page 7
Joins effort to teach students to grasp coding like traditional subjects By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer
Elmore County School Board is joining a growing effort to train teachers to educate students from kindergarten through seniors in computer sciences in a continual learning push for students to grasp coding like any other subject. Within the next three years, teaching methods will be introduced into middle school students daily learning routines, and, following that, into kindergarten through third grades. The goal is to have students not only familiar, but proficient in computer programming, so upon entering high school those that choose can continue their training with new AP courses which are set to be offered next year. Tracy Wright, the math curriculum specialist who led the effort to get Elmore County Schools signed on with the group CODE.org, said by the time See COMPUTER • Page 7
ECHS grads selected for prestigious summer internships
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supervisors Stephen McKenzie, Eloyse Seamon, Temeyra McElrath and Jasmine Cravens. O’Dell said in a phone interview she felt she had no other option but the lawsuit. “I was really left with no choice but to do this,” said O’Dell. “I tried to work with the Elmore County Board of Education to work through things.” She said she has been employed as a Section 504 student services facilitator for nearly a year now, after about 14 years teaching. Her current position, she said, See LAWSUIT • Page 3
By DAVID GRANGER Staff Writer
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David Granger / The Observer
ECHS graduates Devin Capell, Carolyn Jones and Justin Weeks, all currently enrolled at Central Alabama Community College in Alex City, were chosen for prestigious summer science internships.
Three Elmore County High School graduates are among six Central Alabama Community College students who have been selected for prestigious National Science Foundation-sponsored internships at the University of Alabama and the University of Mississippi. Devin Capell and Carolyn Jones were both chosen for Robert Noyce summer internships at the University of Alabama. Justin Weeks was chosen for the Research Experience for Undergraduates program at the University of Mississippi. Other CACC students chosen for Noyce internships were Lydia Hammond of Alexander City, Kallie Beall of Jasper and
Moses Torelli of Central, South Carolina. Noyce, the namesake of the UA internships, founded Intel and is known as the “Mayor of Silicon Valley.” The internships are designed to increase the number and diversity of graduating teachers certified in chemistry, physics and mathematics. “This is a terrific group of students who all share an interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education, particularly at the middle school and secondary levels,” said Carr, a CACC chemistry professor who also serves as the college’s UA Noyce internship liaison. “I think the internship will give them a great opportunity to explore their interests See INTERNSHIP • Page 3
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