A former school administrator is suing a suburban Chicago district, alleging he was forced to resign after protesting a racially insensitive game organized by his superiors. Rheon Gibson, the ex-director of student and family services at Joliet's Troy Central Consolidated School District 30-C, filed the lawsuit claiming racial discrimination following an incident involving a "Snoop on a Stoop" doll.
Gibson contended he was pressured to participate in the game, which he found offensive due to its perpetuation of racial stereotypes, including a doll with a marijuana blunt and a gold chain with a marijuana leaf. Despite the discomfort, Gibson reluctantly posed with the doll, covering most of it in his hand, and later reported the activity to the school board, according to an interview with NBC Chicago.
His lawsuit, as reported by Patch, alleges that after raising concerns, Gibson was subjected to increased workloads and retaliatory actions, ultimately resulting in a negative performance review. The review marked a stark contrast to his previous record, which Gibson claims had no complaints of his work quality. Following the evaluation, he was presented with an ultimatum to either resign or be terminated, leading to his resignation in March 2023.
The school district has categorically denied the allegations, stating that Gibson's employment agreement was not renewed due to reasons unrelated to his performance and that he voluntarily resigned. The district emphasized their commitment to maintaining a workplace free of racism or discrimination in a statement sent to NBC Chicago. Further, they noted disciplinary actions were taken once the inappropriate display of the doll by an employee came to light.
Gibson is now employed as a dean at East Aurora High School in Aurora and is represented legally by attorney Steven Horak. His lawsuit maintains that the forced resignation and other actions by the district created an intolerable work environment and that the “team-building” games were designed to intentionally exclude him. Additionally, it alleges that after his complaint, Gibson was treated inferiorly due to his race, a claim bolstered by his observation that applause was given to others but not to him during a district game, as outlined in his statement to Patch.
