21
Feb
Big Surprise! Another Detroit school scandal.
The president of the Detroit School Board, famous for being functionally illiterate, began masturbating during a meeting with the district superintendent. Back in 2010, the Detroit school board stood by Mathis when it was revealed that “he couldn’t write a coherent sentence.” Mathis described himself as a “role model” for Detroit students.
Gueyser’s letter, dated Wednesday, said Mathis fondled his genital area for about 20 minutes during the meeting and she used papers to block her view.
Mathis unzipped his pants, then pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and placed it “in the zipper area of his pants, appearing to wipe himself,” according to the letter. He later began “moving his hand as if to be masturbating in front of me,” she wrote.
Mathis said he was “sorry” and asked her not to go, the letter said.
Gueyser’s claims come at a critical time as the school board fights for credibility.
The 11 board members were in court Friday for a hearing in an unrelated lawsuit they filed against emergency financial manager Robert Bobb, who was appointed in March 2009 by Gov. Jennifer Granholm to fix money troubles plaguing Detroit Schools. Board members believe he overstepped his authority by making academic decisions and claim they’ve been unable to do their jobs because Bobb controls the district’s finances.
Board member Carla Scott said she spoke with Gueyser on Wednesday and told her to let police take care of the matter.
“We can’t afford a circus,” Scott said of Mathis’ troubles. “We can’t let his mistakes be our problem.”
Fellow board member Carol Banks added: “We’re trying to move to the next level.”
Mathis, a married father of six adult children, acknowledged earlier this year to having problems writing coherently after e-mails filled with grammatical errors and poor sentence structure were made public. Before his 2008 election to the board, he had been a substitute teacher and served as a county commissioner.
Gueyser’s allegations against Mathis are the latest in a string of scandals involving Detroit elected leaders.
Ex-City Council President Monica Conyers is expected to report to federal prison on July 1 to begin a 37-month sentence for corruption.
Former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is serving at least 14 months in state prison for violating probation in a 2008 criminal case. The married Kilpatrick was forced to resign in disgrace that year after sexually explicit text messages with his former top aide contradicted testimony each gave in a 2007 civil trial.