Garrison files EEOC complaint vs Sablan

Marianas High School principal Craig Garrison on Friday filed a discrimination complaint against Education Commissioner Rita Sablan with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, two days after Sablan placed him on administrative leave.

Sablan declined to comment yesterday besides saying that she will let the process take place.

Garrison confirmed with the Saipan Tribune that his complaint form and affidavit were submitted to the EEOC Honolulu Office on Friday, alleging constructive discharge, harassment, retaliation, and discipline and discharge.

Garrison resigned from his job citing irreconcilable differences with the PSS leadership. He tendered his resignation effective Sept. 1, 2011. Last week, however, Sablan placed him on administrative leave until the end of his contract in September. Garrison now believes that this was in retaliation for the statements he made to the media about the reasons for his resignation.

In his complaint, Garrison claimed that Sablan had repeatedly displayed in the last few weeks conduct that violates the tenets of employer-employee relationships.

He said that Sablan’s conduct falls under the prohibited practices of the employer under headings such as constructive discharge—forcing an employee to resign by making the work environment so intolerable that a reasonable person would not be able to stay.

Sablan also allegedly harassed Garrison with “her notably offensive conduct including, but not limited to, offensive jokes, slurs, epithets or name calling, physical assaults or threats, intimidation, ridicule or mockery and interference with work performance.”

“This harassment becomes unlawful where the conduct is severe or pervasive enough to create a work environment that a reasonable person would consider intimidating, hostile, abusive which I do as there have been numerous instances where the supervisor conduct has been not only unfair but repeated instances where she physically assaulted me by hitting, slapping and touching me inappropriately,” said Garrison.

The MHS principal has been in the limelight since April, when he became the subject of a four-day protest in April by a group of MHS teachers led by James Yangetmai. The House Education Committee later held a public hearing on this matter but Sablan barred Garrison from testifying, which Garrison now says was discriminatory. He pointed out that Yangetmai and the other teachers were never issued the same order not to speak at the hearing. This conduct, he said, is a clear violation under the EEOC’s discipline and discharge policy.

Garrison also believes that the administrative leave order issued against him is “a clear retaliation of the commissioner and thus a violation of the policy on retaliation.”

“I found it strikingly discriminatory that I would make a simple statement in the news on July 12 and then on July 13 be placed on admin leave which is largely viewed as a disciplinary measure, and the ‘local teacher’ [alluding to Yangetmai] of a different race who also made statements about her in fact was not disciplined and was even allowed to continue to verbally, and in writing, abuse me and her for that matter, for weeks following without any recourse,” added Garrison’s complaint.