Antioch Unified School District Board President Antonio Hernandez is calling for Superintendent Stephanie Anello to step down from her position as the district's top official.
The action is the result of an NBC Bay Area investigation detailing concerns of constant bullying by AUSD Director of Facilities, Maintenance and Operations Kenneth Turnage and Anello turning a blind eye to the behavior because of Turnage's personal friendship with her and her husband Allan Cantando, Antioch's former police chief.
Thursday evening, one day after the news report, Hernandez initially called for a special board meeting Friday to discuss possible disciplinary or removal actions against a public employee, not specifying which employee. Board member Jag Lathan told NBC Bay Area she supported the move. As of late Thursday, three out of the five board members did not confirm their attendance, so the meeting cannot take place Friday.
"I am disappointed by the majority of my colleagues' refusal to prioritize our staff and students. At this point, I'm left with calling on the superintendent to step down," Hernandez said in a statement.
Although discouraged by some of his fellow board members, Hernandez said the AUSD employees who came forward gave him hope.
“I was so inspired by the bravery that these employees had to share their stories, to share their trauma that they suffered through their employment at this school district,” Hernandez said in an interview with the Investigative Unit. “I’m sorry that we have not done more to help address this and create the district we really want for our community.”
NBC Bay Area reached out to Turnage, Anello, Cantando and the district's HR representative for comment on Thursday's developments, but did not receive a response.
At least 10 AUSD employees have complained about Turnage to district officials, the Investigative Unit has confirmed with the employees themselves and a district official.
In an earlier email, AUSD Chief Human Resources Director Rob Martinez told NBC Bay Area, “The district takes all matters concerning our employees seriously and has processes and procedures in place to protect employees' rights, whether they are being alleged of any wrongdoing or accusing others of any wrongdoing. As this is a personnel matter, there will be no further comment on these matters.”
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NBC Bay Area still wanted to hear from the district’s top official, so Investigative Reporter Candice Nguyen attended last week’s public school board meeting and asked the superintendent multiple questions – all of which she did not answer during or afterwards.
One hour after that board meeting, Turnage sent an email to about 80 employees saying he will no longer be their direct supervisor. He will still oversee the department but now will focus on managing $195 million in voter-approved, AUSD bond funding.
In a second, separate email to the Investigative Unit after the meeting, Martinez said the district investigated the employees’ concerns and took appropriate action. When asked what kind of action, Martinez did not respond.
Candice Nguyen was the investigative reporter who worked on this story. If you want to contact her about this report or have another investigation tip, email her at candice.nguyen@nbcuni.com.
