Madison school district spokesperson Tim LeMonds, right, went to court in May to try to prevent the release of a 14-page complaint filed against him by current and former staffers.
Records released by the Madison school district late Friday in response to an open records request from Isthmus provide little new information on what kind of investigation the district conducted into allegations of bullying made against schools spokesperson Tim LeMonds.
The district released a four-page, unsigned letter to LeMonds, sent to “formally close the workplace bullying complaint” filed Oct. 21 by seven current and former district communications workers alleging “years of screaming, demoralizing criticism, name-calling, belittling, lying, and intimidation” of staff and reporters by LeMonds. The letter, which cites “insufficient evidence” that LeMonds violated district policy, refers only to the allegations made by the three current staffers — no documents were released showing the district investigated allegations made by the four former staffers in the same complaint. The letter said district investigator Brian Holmquist conducted the investigation into the allegations.
The district also released similar letters, dated Dec. 19, 2022, to each of the three current staffers — Ellie Herman, Brad Mackey and Mike Wetzel — informing them no disciplinary action would be taken against LeMonds. (The letter to LeMonds appears to have been erroneously dated Oct. 19, 2022.)
In the weeks since a judge ordered the release of a 14-page complaint containing allegations against LeMonds that he said had been investigated and dismissed, questions have been raised about what kind of investigation the district conducted into the allegations.
But the letters released do not provide information about who was interviewed as part of the investigation, though the investigator’s conclusions relay reports from LeMonds; communications manager Amy Knight; Richard McGregory, the district’s chief of staff; and other unnamed witnesses. The district also did not release what questions were asked or the responses of those interviewed.
The letters released also show no investigation of LeMonds’ behavior toward reporters or of allegations of unequal pay or disparate treatment on the basis of gender made in the complaint.
The district said it could not provide additional records about LeMonds due to a Wisconsin law that prohibits the release of records "relating to the current investigation of a possible criminal offense or possible misconduct connected with employment by an employee prior to disposition of the investigation." One additional document was withheld due to attorney-client privilege.
The documents were released about a half hour before the close of business for the district on Friday and attempts to contact the district’s legal services department on Saturday were unsuccessful.
In its open records request, Isthmus asked for “all district records” related to any investigation of Tim LeMonds stemming from employee complaints. The district identified only the letters concluding the investigation into the complaints of the three current staffers, and the original October complaint, as responsive records it could release.
The district’s letter to LeMonds includes determinations on nine allegations of workplace bullying, in each case finding insufficient evidence that LeMonds violated district policy. “No disciplinary action will be taken,” concludes the letter.
In one allegation investigated by the district, a current employee described receiving a phone call “in which [LeMonds] yells at her on the phone for 45 minutes.” According to the complaint, “Tim scream[ed] at Ellie: ‘You have no idea how to handle your job…I may need to rethink your role, because you are too emotional. …Tim continued to yell ‘I am the executive director of communications, that means what I say, goes, and you have to do it.’”
When Holmquist investigated the claim, he found insufficient evidence for discipline, saying “Mr. LeMonds acknowledges that during crisis situations the discussions often get emotional and intense. Mr. LeMonds’ tone and voice volume were more likely than not interpreted by Ms. Herman as Mr. LeMonds shouting or yelling at her. However, this was a single incident and determined to not have the intention to intimidate or cause harm.”
In another incident addressed in the investigation where LeMonds harshly reprimanded an employee for cursing, the district’s investigation says, “The verbal correction from a Department Director regarding inappropriate language is reasonable. In addition, this was a single incident.”
The complaint, delivered to the district’s human resources department and Title IX coordinator Sherrice Perry, contains many more allegations against LeMonds than are cited in the records released by the district, including a six-page timeline of allegations against LeMonds dating back to December 2020. The complaint alleges LeMonds engaged in a “pattern of abuse” and says that “nearly every single past and present communications employee has experienced intense bullying from Tim.” According to the complaint, several workers have cited LeMonds as a reason for leaving the district in exit interviews.
