agenda item and petition from may 1 board meeting on celine mcarthur

8/2/2019 Agenda item and petition from May 1 board meeting on Celine McArthur

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Florida State College at Jacksonv1UeDistrict Board of Trustees

A G E N . D A I T E M N O r 3 _ - ~ - = _ ~ = : ~ _ - - J l-- _ . . . - ...S u~ ec t:: .Contact:Me etin g d ate :

H um an R eso urces: S usp en sio n Wi .th o ut P a y, D ism issal an d O ther ReliefDr, Christine Arab, 904-6~2-5082May 1 ,20 12R EC OlvlM EN DA TIO N; It is recom mended that the D istrict Board of Trustees(DBOT) approve th e s us pe ns io n w ith ou t pay o f C elin e M cA rth ur, A sso ciate V iceP resid ent, S trateg ic C omm un icatio ns, an d accep t th e recomm en ded P etition forSus pe ns io n W i th ou t Pay , Dismissal and Oth er R elie f effective w ith th is a ctio n. [t isfurtherrecommended that th e DBOT g ran t R esp on dent's requ est for an adm in istrativ eh ea rin g in th is m atter within the g uidelines of C hapter 120, F lo rida Statutes, ifth eresp on dent files such req uest w ith in th e req uired tim e fram e.and an y o th er reliefdeem edappropriate.BACKGROUND: The College Board ofTrustees suspended this employee with payon A pril 3 . 2012 follow ing an em ergency suspension. on M arch 29,2012 b y tile CollegePresident per B oard R ule 6H x7 -2.18, Due Process. a nd Adm in is trativ e P ro ce du re Ma nu al(A PM ) 0 2-17 02, D ue P ro ce -s s fo r In stru ctio na l; A dm ln ls tra tiv e a nd P ro fes sio na lP erson nel; b ased o n serio useo ncern s relatin g to escalatin g p rob lem s with he rp erfo rm ance an d p ro fession al co ndu ct an d d ue to alleg ed v io latio ns ofB oard R ules. T heeme rg en cy su sp en sio n w as n ec es sa ry to ensure that all pa rti es a re p ro te ct ed and that th eem ployee's due process rights are provided, pending the outcom e of an internal review .

The a t tached Pet it ion fo r S usp en sio n W i th ou t P ay , D ism issal an d O th er R eliefenum erates th e find ings of the review and presents the ch arges upon w hich thisre commen da tio n is b as ed .RATJONAL.E: It is. n otin 'th e best in te re sts o f the College to return Ms, McArthlll' toduty nor to co ntinue to com pensate her w hile the d ue process steps and tim eline aff'Qrdedto her by C ollege R ules and p ro ced ures a ndCh ap te r 1 201 F lo rida S tatutes are pendin g. Itis a ntic ip ate d th at th e Board o f T rustees w ill act o n the P etitio n fo r Dismissal f or th isem ployee on or before Ju ne 5, 2012.FISCAL NOTES: The economic impact. cannot be determined at this time.


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STA TE O F FLO RID AD ISTRICT BOA RD OF TRUSTEES

FLO RID A STA TE C OLLEGE AT JACKSONV1LLE

D R. ST EV EN R. WALLACE ,P re sid en t, F lo ri da . S ta teCol lege at JacksonvillePeti t ioner,

))))))))))

VS.

C EL IN E M cA RT HU RRespondent .

PETITION FOR SUSPENSION WITHOUT PAY,D ISM ISSAL AND OTHER RELIEFD r. S teven R. W allace , P resident o f F lo rida State C ollege at J ac ks o nv il le ( he re in a fte r

"the College"), by and through his undersigned counsel, in accordance with the laws andregu la tions o f the State o f F lorida hereby petitions the District Board of T rustees ("D BOT ', todismiss Respondent, Celine McArt~!D'/ as an Associate Vice President of StrategicC om m unica tio ns, A dm inistrativ e em plo yee un der an ann ual employment co ntrac t an d take su ch

other und further action. in the matter as may be required. by the provisions of Section 120.57,.Florida S tatu tes; Chapter 28 , F lorida A dm in istrative Code; and College Rules and Po licies ..P e titi on e r f ur th er requests that th e DBOr conver t Respondent ' s current suspension with pay tos u sp ens ion w i thou t pay p end ing r eso lu ti on of t he i ns ta n t P e ti ti on .

FACTUAL .ALLEGATIONS1. The name and address of the Petitioner is Dr. Steven R. Wallace. College

President, Florida State College at Jacksonville, 501 West State Street, Jacksonville, Florida3 22 02 . P etitio ne r is re pr es en te d by Kevin Hyde , Foley & L ard ner. L LP .


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2. Th e a ge nc y a ffe cte d by th is P etitio n is th e District Board of Trustees of Florida.State College at Jacksonville (hereinafter "DBOT', 501 West State Street, Jacksonville; Florida32202.

3. Respondent is Celine McArthur, Associate Vice President of StrategicCommunications, whose last known mailing address is 511 131h Avenue S., Jacksonville Beach)Florida, 32250. It is unknow n w hether R espondent. is represented"

4. Respondent was initially employed as an annual contract full-time Director ofCommWlity Relations on June 30, 2009 and subsequently as an Associate Vice President ofStrategic C om munications on A ugust 16. 20.1O . and is now em ployed bythe DBOr on an annualc ont ra ct o a si s"

5; Respondent has acknowledged in writing that she has read a n d , accepted theobligation and responsibility placed upon her in the "Code of Ethics of the Education Profession"and.the "Principles of Professional Conduct for the Education Profession. in Florida, ,.,hereinafterincorporated by reference and. identif ied as Attachment A.

6. As anemployee of the College, Respondent is required to abide by the Standardsof Conduct and Compliance for Employees hereinafter incorporated by reference and identifieda s A tta chm en t B .

7. At all times material herein, Respondent was assigned as an Associate ViceP re sid en t o f S tr ate gic Communic atio ns a t th e Deerwood Cen te r, S ou th Campus.

8. The College's investigation to date has raised sigeificantconcerns about CelineMcArthur'soonduct.t including:

Q. Failure to meetprofessional requirements and mate ri al m i sr ep re sen ta ti on spertaining to members of the public;


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h. Inappropriate, unethical and unprofessional conduct ;c. Gross insubordination and wilJfu1neglect of duty.

9. Due the serious nature of Respondent's behavior, Petitioner was required. toinvoke his authority to . immediately suspend Respondem with pa y pending the outcome of anIntemalpersormel review. Respondent was provided with notice of this action by letter dated.Ma rc h 2 8., 2 01 2.

VIOLATIONS10. Pursuant to Investigation, Respondent is hereby charged with violation of Board

Ru le 6HX7 -L 2 C om plia nc e with Rules. B oard R ule 6Hx7~2.28S tan dard s o f C ondu ct an dCompl iance fOJ[ Em ployees, B oard R ule 6H iD - 3 .61 Cqde of Etrucs,and Board Rule 6Hr7- 3.55Em plo yee G rie yan ce .. R es po nd en t's re peated violation of th e fo re go in g R u le s d em o ns tra te eg ro ss i ns ub or din atio n , m is co n du ct in office, willful n eg lect o f du ty a nd a cts and omiss io ns so

. serio us as to im pair Respondent's effectiveness a t th e C olleg e as defined by FLoridaAdministrative Code, and has otherwiseviolated portions of the Rules and Regulations of the

Dep artm e nt o f E du ca tio n. including the Code of Ethics an d th e Principles of'ProfessionalConduct of the Education Profession in Florida. reflected inparagraph 5 and th e Rules, practicesand procedures of the College, by acts including, but 1101, limited to, the following:

a, Failure to carry out the reasonable and l aw f u l d ir ec ti ve s e f'h e r supervisor; and th eCoflegePresident, in the performance of her duties throughout the currentp erferm an ce y ear, m ost rece ntly , Friday, M arch 9 , 2012;

b. Falselyaccusing-her-supervisor of discrlmination.andharassment, most recentlyM arch 9, 2012 j,u an attem pt to saveher annual contract em ploym ent with th eCol lege;


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c. Falsely alleging that the D BO T has been asked by th e Co lle ge administration to maked ecisio ns b ased o n in ac cu rate o r in com plete in fo rm atio n;

d. Failure to fo llow th e directives of theCollege P re sid en t to c ol la bo ra te with re ga rd toth e renew al of h er annual em ploy men t contract w itb th e C olle ge ;

e. Use of College resources and her position with th e College to th re ate n a nd u nd erm in eh er su pe rv iso r, th e C olle ge P re sid en t an d the C hair of the District Board ' of TrusteeSin a n attem p t to p re serv e h er a nn ua l employment contract;

f. Failure to follow the College's procedures for satisfactorily resolving complaints andg rie va nc es. p er h er m e etin g with D r. C hristine A rab, V P of H um an R esou rces onMarch 15, 2012. R ath er, M s. M cA rth ur distributed a letter she composed to Dr.Wallace. College President, dated March 26~2012, to the Board of Trustees; theOffice of the Chancellor of the State College S ystem , tn e members of the Duvaldelegation, the Office of the Governor of'the State of Florida, and others, falselyalleging that her ability to communicate openly with the media has been


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alleging that her ability to communicate openly with the media has beensystematically restricted and accusing the College President and several m em bers ofthe College President's Cabinet of "concealing disturbing matters" from the public.In addition, sh e also p resen ted un fo und ed. alleg atio ns o f im prop er, unethical or m e galconduct on the part of the College, thus impugning the College's reputation, and thatofits Board of Trustees and senior management leaders;

g. Use of public resources and confidential information obtained inthe course ofheremployment to seek private gain.

h. Celine McArthur repeatedly failed to adhere to the aforestated requirements and to actat all times consistently With the C olle ge R ule s- and administrative procedures;


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Professional E thics and C ode of Conduct and/or in 1he best interests of students andthe College,

L1. The above-stated conduct collectively and independently violates the Bosrd'sRules. the College's procedures, and the Code of Ethics and the Principles of ProfessionalConduct of the Education Profe-ssion in Florida. Respondent's conduct constitutes grossinsubordination, misconduct in office, and/or willful neglect of duty and warrants Respondent'ssuspension 'without pa y and ultimate termination as well as any other relief deemed appropriate.Respondent's conduct substantially undermines her effectiveness as an Associate Vice Presidentof Strategic Communications, limits her ability to be present on th e College's campuses, andlimits her ability to perform the core duties of her position In the community.

12. The suspension without pay of Respondent pending resolution of the instantP etition is appropriate given. the fact that there is probable cause to su pp ort. th e c ha rg es a ga in stR espo nd en t, a nd is necessary in light of theserious nature of the charges and th e n ec ess ity u nd erboth law and policy for the College to maintain an environment free from such inappropriate,unethical and/or unprofessional conduct.

WHEREFORE,. based on the foregoing, th e Petitioner recommends the termination ofRespondent. Celine McArthur's employment, effective May 1; 2012 .. If a hearing is requested.Petitioner recommends that the hearing by granted and the Respondent be suspended without payeffective Ma.y 1 , 2012, pending the outcome of the hearing.

RIGHTTO HEARING13. 'This Petition notifies Respondent of the charges. filed herem, of the Petitioner's

recommendation that Respondent be dismissed and. of her right to be heard at the DBOT meeting


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scheduled for May 1, 2012 at College's Administrative Offices. Said date is at least fourteen(14) days after service of this Petition on Re sp o nd e nt ' s r ep re se nt at iv e .

14. This Petition further advises Respondent of her right to a public hearing (0 beconducted inaccordancewith section 120.569' and 120.51, Florida Statutes (2012) regarding the'Petitioner's recommendation 1 1 ; . t erm ina te he r emp loymen t.

15. Respondent may request a formal public 'bearing by filing a Request forAdm in is tr at iv e H e ar in g p ur su an t to Adm in is tr at iv e P r oc edu re Ad, C h ap te r 1 20 , F lo rid a S ta tu te

. (2012), and. the Unifonn Rules adopted by the Administration. Commiss ion . Chapter 28106 etseq.; Florida Administrative Code. unless the parties otherwise agree to an alternative hearing

procedure. The DBD! may elect to conduct 'the hearing itself. or it may designate a hearingofficer or officers to hear the matter and render a Recommended Order for review, A sampleR eq uest is attach ed fo r R esp on den t's referen ce an d u se as A ttach men t C.

16. Respondent must submit a written request to the Office of General Counsel,Florida State College at Jacksonville. 501 West State Street, Suite 403, J ac ks onv il le , F Lor id a.32202 ..for formal hearingwithin fifteen (15) days of the date of service. Your written request fora hearing must be postmarked no latter than 4:30 p.m. on the 1 5 ' t I i day. A copy of the writtenrequest must also be sent. to Kevin E . H yd e, Foley & Lardner, One Independent Drive, Suite1300, Jacksonville. Florida 32202-5017. Respondent is required to substantially comply 'W ith. theUn if orm Ru le s.

17. Respondent is entitled to representation by counsel or other qualified representafive atRespondent 's expense.

18. Failure to request a hearing w in be 'deemed an admission of the al legat ionsagainst Respondent


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19 . M ediation under section 120 ..573 , F lo rida S tatu tes (2012). is no t a v ai la b le .20. Pursuan t to Ru le 2 8 -1 06 .2 14 , F lo rid a Adm i nis tr at iv e Code. n otic e is p ro vid ed th at

th e District Board of Trustees ("DBOT,) 'will preserve testimony at the final hearing byaudiotape. Ifeither party desires a certified court reporter to preserve testim on y ~ the party maydo so at its O 'WD . expense . Any party w ho w ishes ; , 1 , w ritten tran scrip t o f the testim ony fro m th ecertified c ou rt re po rte r s ha ll b ea r the c os t o f s uc h tr an sc rip t.

21. Thereafter, the DBOT wiu take final action to determine whether to adopt, modifyo r r eje ct said R ecom mended O rder. A t least fou rteen . (I 4 ) daysprio r no tice will be g iven of thetim e and p lace o f sa id hearing ,

W HEREFORE , Petitioner recom mends that the DBOT. at . : i t s n ex t regu lar m eetin g;s ch ed ule d fo r M ay I, 2 01 2:

1. Accept this Petition;2. A pprove R esponden t's suspension w ithou t pay;3 . P rov ide R espondent with an opportun ity to be heard or respond in w ritin g; o r4. If Respondent requests a hearing. establish a date to hold public hearings in

accordance with t h e provi sions of Florida Statutes 120.5 7 o r as o th erw ise m u1ua1ly ag reed an d:a. Ap pro ve P etitio ne r's r ec omm e nd atio ns ;b. Dismiss Respondent from Respondent's employment with the College;

andc. Take- any such further action and provide such further relief as may be

app rop ria te . .


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K 'II:' H - ~ " r A .evm.!b... . : 1 " " " ,Foley &. L ardn er. L LPOn e bnj~~ Drive, Sulik: 1 .3 '00JacksonviJlle. FlO i 'i da 32202Fl()'rida. Bm#: 768235

CERTlFI:CA1' .EJl:F SBRVICE

J betl \ lby certify tm r t a . ro py o f ,e titiO I) !fur S i\ I8 p en sl oD .W i~ lI it P a y; D i sm i ss al . and OiheJ:R.eliefbas been served b y h and deilivety this _ j . 2 _ ihy (Y fA pdl. 2012 .upon th e :&espond.ent:

Ms. C elin .e McArtlmr5U ]JI& Avenue S.Jai~]e Beach. Fl .. 32250

agenda item and petition from may 1 board meeting on celine mcarthur

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