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Nicole Webster's Stand Against Workplace Harassment

Nicole Webster spoke to the media about improper sexual harassment she experienced in her workplace. She took issue with the district superintendent's use of the word "immediate" in his statement, as it took four business days before her harasser was placed on paid administrative leave, despite her filing a formal complaint and providing evidence of harassment and a restraining order. Allowing the harasser access to school technology and information for that length of time made her feel unsafe and that her safety and that of students was not made a priority. She is willing to stand up against a male in a position of power who did not act immediately to protect her from a harassing male administrator.

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391 views2 pages

Nicole Webster's Stand Against Workplace Harassment

Nicole Webster spoke to the media about improper sexual harassment she experienced in her workplace. She took issue with the district superintendent's use of the word "immediate" in his statement, as it took four business days before her harasser was placed on paid administrative leave, despite her filing a formal complaint and providing evidence of harassment and a restraining order. Allowing the harasser access to school technology and information for that length of time made her feel unsafe and that her safety and that of students was not made a priority. She is willing to stand up against a male in a position of power who did not act immediately to protect her from a harassing male administrator.

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Megan
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Nicole Webster

March 26, 2021

First and foremost I have chosen to speak to the media not as a representative of Whiteside
District 115 but as a female professional who feels strongly compelled to stand up against
improper sexual harassment in the workplace. The ME TOO movement opened a lot of eyes,
and yet I find some of the language in Mr. Heuring’s statement disappointing.

My primary issue is with the word immediate. I contacted Mr. Heuring on Monday, March 15,
2021 before 3:00 P.M. with evidence of harassment/stalking by the district technology
administrator. Mr. Heuring received a copy of the Emergency Stalking No Contact Order on
Monday as well. That evening I was told that this administrator would be placed at and work
from Whiteside Elementary School. I was instructed to contact my immediate supervisor each
day when I left the building so this administrator could access the middle school if needed. I was
also told that I was expected to return to work the following day unless I was sick. On Tuesday,
March 16 I met with Mr. Heuring again. At that time I was told that adding the union in may
create more conflict from a personnel standpoint, this is not a grievable issue, this act did not
violate the contract, and that there may be a confidential personnel investigation. At this meeting
I made it very clear to Mr. Heuring that I was extremely uncomfortable with this administrator’s
direct access to my personal information and the information of every employee and student in
the school district. Since the district had just experienced a data breach over winter break, it was
extremely unsettling to know all employee and student information may again be at risk. As
suggested I filed a formal complaint on March 17. It is true that Mr. Heuring placed my harasser
on paid administrative leave on Thursday, March 18, 2021 at 5:00 P.M. You can see my
confusion in the word immediate. Four business days passed before this employee was placed
on leave. During this time he retained access to the school’s technology network and by
extension, myself. Considering the nature of this harassment involved technology and, in fact,
this administrator deals directly with the school’s technology, that is deeply concerning. Mr.
Heuring’s willingness to allow four business days to go on granting this employee direct access
to all school technology is extremely disappointing.

The past several weeks have been nothing short of traumatic. I do not feel that Mr. Heuring
immediately made my safety a priority. Furthermore, I feel the safety of everyone in the district
was in question while this administrator was allowed to work from the elementary school until he
was placed on administrative leave.
I am grateful for the unwavering support of the staff and the building principals. I am willing to
stand up for myself, my female co-workers and my students against a male in a position of
power, who in my opinion, did not act immediately in respect to a male administrator who was
harassing me.

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