Sunday, August 24, 2003

Naughty Superintendent

Naughty Naughty:

Last month Lambda Legal sued the Lubbock Independent School District for barring students from forming a Gay Straight Alliance on campus and recognizing it as a legitimate school club. It now appears the superintendent who wouldn’t allow the organization on school property was engaged in an ongoing extra-marital affair at that very location.

This week the CBS affiliate in Lubbock, CBS-13, revealed that Dr. Jack Clemmons, who suddenly and unexpectedly retired from the city’s schools in March, was engaged in a nearly one-year affair with one of his employees on school property and during school time.

Through an open records request for Dr. Clemmons’ e-mails, reporter James Clark found Clemmons and his lover left a series of messages on school computers, messages that by law are part of the public record. School officials asked the state attorney general to block that request. But eventually the attorney general ordered the schools to turn over the e-mails.

According to the Lubbock television affiliate, the e-mails revealed an on-going affair in graphic detail. On September 19, 2002, Clemmons’ employee wrote, “I will go put up mail around 2:45 meet me there so that maybe I can get one last quick kiss.” Dr. Clemmons replied, “I will be there. Be careful.”

Then in November the superintendent wrote, “You still need to learn my habits and intentions. Like when you ask what you will get if you come in my office and I tell you that you will get a kiss. You should know by now that I mean that I will begin by giving you a kiss but that it will soon lead to a xxxxxx and then I will make love to you if you are willing.”

....

And then on January 24, Clemmons made an unusual proposition, saying “I will give you an additional $500.00 ... If you will get totally naked with me here in the office. What do you think? I am serious. You would have to be naked and allow me to ‘play’ with your body!” The employee responded that same day “Forget it!!! You can keep your money!”

According to CBS-13, all of these communications took place on school computers and most on school time. The affiliate also reports that less than five hours after offering his employee money in exchange for sexual favors in his office, Clemmons stood in front of a TV camera to defend the school district abstinence-only sex education policy.