Antioch school trustee accused of trying to silence colleague in bullying scandal

In a late-night move Wednesday, Antioch Unified School District trustee Mary Rocha called for board members to “discuss the potential removal of Board President Antonio Hernandez from his position as president.”

“Given the clear violation of board policies and protocols, I am calling for a censure resolution to be included in next month’s governing board meeting,” Rocha said.

The motion follows a report by the NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit last month, in which several workers accused the school district’s maintenance director of bullying them. The employees filed complaints against Ken Turnage with the district. According to one complaint, Turnage moved his employee's desk onto a roof to humiliate him.

The employees told NBC Bay Area they believe Antioch Unified Superintendent Stephanie Anello turned a blind eye to their complaints because she is close, personal friends with Turnage. Neither Anello nor Turnage have responded to NBC Bay Area’s multiple requests for comment.  

After NBC Bay Area’s initial report, Hernandez called for Anello’s resignation. Anello has since been on medical leave. Additionally, the district placed Turnage on administration leave and hired a third-party investigator to look into the worker complaints.

During Wednesday’s meeting, Rocha accused Hernandez of putting the district’s reputation in jeopardy with his public criticisms.

“[His action] jeopardizes the community’s trust in our constitution as a school board. Especially during the [inaudible] times as we will be going through the process of obtaining positive board ratings, which could lead to significant increase and cost this community should we be identified as a district in chaos,” said Rocha reading a written statement at the school board meeting.

Hernandez told NBC Bay Area this action by Rocha is an attempt to silence him for holding the school district and Superintendent Anello accountable for how they’ve handled worker bullying complaints.

“The system, the school district, and people – anyone can tell me what I should or shouldn’t do, but the only thing I know truthfully in my head is the way to reach unity is by doing what I know is right for our employees and our students,” Hernandez said. “People often see dissent as causing division, but truly dissent is how we build a better system.”

Rocha has not responded to NBC Bay Area's requests for comment.

AUSD board members will discuss possibly removing Hernandez as president at their June 26 meeting. Rocha clarified, because board member Clyde Lewis will not be at the next meeting, she preferred June 26.

At Wednesday’s meeting, the board also decided, 3-1, to consider another, wider third-party investigation into how the school district is handling employee culture and concerns.

Catch up on all of NBC Bay Area's reporting on the Antioch Unified School District worker bullying scandal here.