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The Shelby County Schools Board of Education approved the termination of Shelby Elementary School Child Nutrition Program worker Avette Dunn during a hearing on Monday, Feb. 24. (Reporter photos/Noah Wortham)

By NOAH WORTHAM | Managing Editor

COLUMBIANA – A deafening silence filled the room of the Shelby County Board of Education on Monday, Feb. 24 following four hours of deliberation as board members announced the termination of Shelby Elementary School Child Nutrition Program employee Avette Dunn.

The Shelby County Schools BOE held the special-called hearing to determine whether or not the school system would terminate Dunn from her position as a CNP worker after she lied about soliciting funds for lunch money.

Superintendent Dr. Lewis Brooks recommended Dunn’s termination after an investigation by SCS staff revealed Dunn had solicited funds for the school’s Parent Teacher Organization lunch account. Brooks claimed in his letter that Dunn was insubordinate, referring to her dishonesty during the initial investigation.

Shelby Elementary School’s PTO lunch account is a separate fund that CNP workers can access that is available to feed students who are still hungry after their first meal and want seconds. The school also has a program to send food home with students, entitled “backpack buddies” in addition to free and reduced lunch programs. The PTO lunch account is funded through donations made to the school.

On Feb. 21, 2024, Dunn reached out to a family friend, Wanda Pate, on Facebook Messenger to ask if she was familiar with a place on Facebook that assists with lunch money. Wanda then asked Dunn if there is something she can do, after which Dunn explained the situation with the PTO account and claimed that her CNP manager—Carla Hilliard—had asked three different times and that the PTO had told her they didn’t have money.

Wanda proceeded to offer her assistance with funding for the PTO account and delivered $200 in cash through an envelope by handing it to a school resource officer to be given to the lunchroom. The funds were then deposited into the PTO lunch account.

On Feb. 23, Dunn told Wanda that her manager said, ‘Thank you so much’ and that she didn’t say who it was that had donated the money.

Dunn reached out again to Wanda on April 11, 2024, asking if she was able to donate funds again to the PTO account. Wanda agreed to help out and delivered an envelope with $100 in cash and a $100 check which were then deposited into the PTO lunch account.

Dunn reached out once again to Wanda on Sept. 26, 2024 asking if there was any way Wanda could get money for the PTO lunch account. On Oct. 1, Wanda reached out to her daughter-in-law and PTO treasurer, Tracey Pate, about whether there was a lack of funds in the PTO lunch account since she claims she did not understand how the account could be low only two months into the school year.

Tracey confirmed that the funds were not low and then notified Shelby Elementary Principal Stacy Aderholt that Dunn had requested funding for the PTO account from Wanda.

Aderholt claimed she went to the lunchroom and asked CNP worker Cynthia Lowery and Dunn if somebody had contacted Wanda about money for the lunch account to which both replied, “No.” Dunn then proceeded to show Aderholt the account which had $300 in it which she considered high enough that there would be no need to request for funds.

Wanda shared screenshots of her conversations with Dunn and an investigation into the situation began, which led to Dunn being put on detached duty before eventually being notified of her termination.

An initial hearing for the termination for Dunn was planned for Jan. 28 before being delayed to Feb. 24. During the hearing, the Shelby County Schools Board of Education heard testimonies from Aderholt, Wanda, Hilliard, Joel Dixon, Brooks and Dunn on the matter with opportunity for cross-examination from defense and prosecution representatives.

Aderholt recommended Dunn’s termination due to her alleged dishonesty during the situation.

“I strongly feel when you are working in a school with kids and working on a cash register with confidential information, I feel like it’s very important that you are a trustworthy person,” Aderholt said. “I was very alarmed, especially when I did see her that afternoon sitting in the front office, and (she) never mentioned anything to me.”

During her testimony, Hilliard said she had not asked the PTO for funding for the lunch account three times like Dunn had claimed and said that she had never officially asked for a donation to the account. Hilliard also said she did not say, “Thank you” about the initial donation like Dunn had claimed. Hilliard confirmed that she personally had received and deposited the donated funds from Wanda in February and April to the PTO lunch account.

During the hearing, Dixon, as the Shelby County Schools BOE assistant superintendent of human resources, also recommended Dunn’s termination citing her alleged dishonesty and approach to the situation.

“I think there’s an expectation, just a professional expectation, that if your supervisor asks you a question, you be truthful about it,” Dixon said. “People make mistakes but to be honest about those mistakes seems important. In this case, there was additional time the same day where Mrs. Dunn could have corrected her mistake with Ms. Aderholt if she had chosen to. But (she) chose not to, and additionally, (she) reached out to Mrs. Pate and asked her not to say anything to anybody. All those things have serious calls for concern.”

During Brooks’ testimony, the defense presented several of Dunn’s yearly evaluations, which all indicated positive assessments with no prior listed offenses. Dunn had worked at Shelby Elementary School for eight years. Brooks shared that he had never seen the evaluations but had relied on the judgement of his leadership team. Brooks indicated that he signed the letter of termination for Dunn based upon insubordination, which he said was in reference to her lack of truthfulness.

Dunn was the final witness to speak before the board during the hearing. BOE member Peg Hill addressed Dunn directly and requested an answer to why she lied to Aderholt about soliciting funds from Wanda.

“This is a very difficult decision to make because none of us want anybody to lose their job,” Hill said. “I’m looking at it in a totally different standpoint (than) a lot of people here because I have been a principal for a lot of years and I just have one question that I cannot (get) clear in my mind… I want you to explain to me why you could not answer Mrs. Aderholt’s question honestly. Why did you feel it was necessary not to answer a question?”

Dunn claimed that she had kept silent on her involvement in order to keep Wanda’s identity confidential—a request Wanda had made when she agreed to donate funds.

“Yes, you admitted a mistake, but I don’t see the collecting of money nearly as serious as the fact that you couldn’t be honest with your principal,” Hill said.

Dunn claimed that the CNP workers always made sure that the PTO account did not get below $200 and that that was the reason behind her solicitation of funds.

Contrary to Hilliard’s testimony, Dunn claimed that she did hear Hilliard say three different times she had reached out for funds for the PTO lunch account.

Before the board entered deliberation, the defense and prosecution delivered their final remarks.

“I think there’s a lot of key points that are consistent,” said Shelby County Schools Board Attorney Anne Knox Averitt. “Mrs. Dunn admits soliciting donations from a community member. She admits that we did not have children going hungry in the lunchroom. We did not have a shortage of funding. You’ve heard from our principal, our CNP manager, who also testified under oath today, we didn’t have a lack of funding. We did not have PTO requests coming in to fund this account that were denied… Mrs. Dunn admits that when she was asked about it she didn’t disclose it. We heard from HR that she also was not forthcoming when they asked her about it. I think you have all this before you. I think the key points are clear.”

Candis McGowan, with the Alabama Education Association, represented Dunn and provided closing remarks on the situation.

“Current witnesses admit there were discrepancies in their statements and their testimony (in) what was put down in writing and what they’re saying today,” McGowan said. “But those were mistakes and they were asking for grace… mistakes have been made by everybody here. She felt like she couldn’t speak out, Mrs. Dunn did. She just told you in front of everybody because she was trying to keep the confidentiality that she promised to keep of the community member (who) donated.”

McGowan also highlighted that the school system does not have in writing that a lunchroom worker cannot ask a community member to give a donation to the PTO lunch account.

“Everyone’s admitted that there was no specific training given to employees on how to solicit funds, so maybe there needs to be because how is an employee supposed to know they’re not supposed to do it when everywhere you turn there’s people asking for monies for the school,” McGowan said.

McGowan said that if grace was being given to those who gave incorrect statements, then that grace should extended to Dunn.

“She should receive the same grace and get some form of discipline less than a termination,” McGowan said. “We ask that you consider that from a long-time employee that had no ill will and all she wanted to do was to help the students and make sure that there was always money in that account.”

The Shelby County Schools Board of Education went into executive session after the conclusion of the hearing, and after approximately an hour-and-a-half of deliberation, unanimously voted to terminate Dunn’s employment.

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