On November 22, 2020, Ms. Anjanette Brown, the ex-wife of superintendent Luvelle Brown, submitted more than 200 pages of emails, reports, and legal documents alleging gross misconduct and abuse of power by Ithaca City School District (ICSD) Superintendent Luvelle Brown to the ICSD Board of Education. These allegations included a conflict of interest in hiring practices, child abuse, and harassment of Ms. Brown and their children on school grounds during and following the divorce and custody battle, by and under the direction of Dr. Brown. The same day as the release of a document detailing the allegations, Dr. Brown announced his resignation at the January 12 Board of Education (BoE) meeting, causing immediate speculation among members of the school community. Two weeks later, Dr. Brown withdrew his resignation at the Tuesday, January 26, evening BoE meeting, saying, “After many conversations and reflections, I’m wishing to be here and [serve] as your superintendent going forward and indefinitely.” This decision was met with backlash from many students, parents and Ithaca community members because of the BoE’s lack of transparency and mishandling of this situation. Considering the gravity of these allegations, The Tattler Editorial Board supports the community’s demand for a thorough investigation by a third party of Dr. Brown and the Board of Education, and an appropriate course of action to follow.
When asked how Dr. Brown was able to withdraw his resignation, Board President Robert Ainslie explained that Brown’s letter of resignation was never submitted to the BoE, invalidating his resignation. This explanation surprised the Ithaca community considering the email they had received notifying them of Dr. Brown’s resignation, a copy of an earlier press release in which the allegations against Dr. Brown go completely unmentioned. The email also listed all of Brown’s major achievements, followed up with a quote from Ainslie: “It will be nearly impossible to replace Dr. Brown. He has been an amazing leader and community member. We wish him great success in his new role.”
In total, there were sixteen separate areas of concern discussed in the letter shared with the BoE and New York State Commissioner of Education, Betty A. Rosa. One such topic was the hiring by Dr. Brown of court-appointed paralegal, Erica Kueffer, to a position as an Administrative Assistant in 2015. Her hiring was allegedly in violation of her agreement to serve as a neutral agent to supervise the Brown children and offer advice concerning their custodial arrangements. Anjanette Brown also cites that Kueffer stated under oath that she had started and maintained a romantic relationship with Dr. Brown. This conflict of interest was apparently not objectionable to the Board of Education.
Another significant concern listed in Anjanette Brown’s letter was Dr. Brown’s treatment of their children. According to Ms. Brown, the superintendent withheld information about their children’s education from her, entered their children’s classrooms during the school day, and organized FaceTime calls with his daughter using her teacher’s phone. Dr. Brown addressed the claim about the classrooms in a community conversation hosted by Meryl Phipps on February 20, saying that the classroom was created for his own professional development, and not personal reasons, but not the others. Ms. Brown also claims he used his position of power to pull his son out of class before Child Protective Services came to speak with him about alleged physical abuse from his father. Based on a 2020 court order prohibiting contact with his children during school hours, Dr. Brown acted in defiance of the judge each time he met with his children while they were at school. Such actions are completely unacceptable and create an unhealthy and unsafe learning environment for the children. If the allegations are proven to be true, they would warrant Dr. Brown’s immediate dismissal.
When Dr. Brown announced his return to the district at the January 26 Board of Education meeting, student representatives to the BoE inquired about steps taken to investigate the allegations against Dr. Brown. They were entirely ignored until a BoE member prevented the meeting from ending by bringing the issue back up. According to an Ithaca Times article, “About face: Luvelle Brown will remain with ICSD,” BoE President Robert Ainslie explained that Kate Reid, the district’s attorney, had read the document detailing the allegations and “found that there was no justification for the allegations and that there was no impact to the district.” Reid’s investigation, however, may also be a conflict of interest since Reid is the subject of one of the document’s claims. Ms. Brown states that Reid initially denied her access to her childrens’ school records, going against school policy, while saying that she was acting on behalf of the district. Furthermore, an investigation behind closed doors taking place without public knowledge or a comprehensive report is alarming, especially considering the dismissive attitude of Ainslie toward the nature of the allegations.
Two letters were sent to the ICSD Board of Education in the first week of February, one by parents and one by teachers. They demanded an official investigation of the BoE’s handling of the allegations surrounding Dr. Brown. Parents demanded the resignation of BoE President Ainslie, a full and detailed explanation from Dr. Brown on why he reversed his resignation in late January, and the termination of Attorney Reid for her inappropriate behavior towards Ms. Brown. Two BoE members, Ainslie and Sean Eversley Bradwell (BoE Vice President), as well as Superintendent Brown and Deputy Superintendent Lily Talcott, were served legal documents of unknown content. All parties involved sought legal representation, Brown hiring local law firm Schlather, Stumbar, Parks & Salk to represent him. President Ainslie was also caught on camera throwing the legal papers he received in the snow, another dismissive action displaying the BoE’s mishandling of the situation.
In the process of writing this editorial, The Tattler Editorial Board reached out to Dr. Brown to request a statement about his resignation and return to the district, as well as the allegations against him. When asked why he reconsidered the resignation, Brown gave a similar response as he had given at the BoE meeting, writing, “After announcing that I would soon be transitioning to the new role, I had second thoughts after more reflection and conversations with others. While serving a larger community of learners, the prospects of not doing some of the same things I’ve enjoyed and been successful with the past ten years outweighed the previous desires to make a shift.” When The Tattler Board requested a comment about the recent allegations brought against him, the Superintendent simply claimed the allegations were false and stated he is confident that the New York State Commissioner will come to the same conclusion.
In addressing the allegations against Dr. Brown, it is essential that the Board of Education treat this as a district-wide issue and not as a personal matter. The BoE has made their opinions clear: addressing one of the student representatives, Ainslie said, “There are things that are private and within a family, and we have no wish to go there.” Although issues of divorce are not ordinarily considered at work, it is foolish to ignore the crossover between personal and professional matters. The allegations put forward by Ms. Brown detail a transgression of district policy which, if proven true, would indicate that Dr. Brown has used workplace resources to attempt to resolve a personal problem. Not only does a violation of professional boundaries warrant consequences, the character of school district leaders is paramount to their employment.
The BoE’s treatment of the allegations demonstrates a dissonance between their professed values and present behavior. Their role is to foster outstanding conduct and exemplify the values of the school district. Instead of being transparent with the school community and addressing the elephant in the room, the BoE has betrayed our expectations. The character of members of the Board of Education and the Superintendent alike are fundamental to the standards of a school district as they act as role models to the school community, especially to students themselves. An investigation of abuse is the duty of district leadership on behalf of the alleged victims and the ICSD community as a whole. In investigating Dr. Brown, the BoE must not dismiss truths that come forward as personal rather than professional matters. An appropriate investigation would be enacted by a third-party committee, independent from Dr. Brown and the Board of Education, and include interviews with all involved parties, including, but not limited to, Dr. Brown, Ms. Brown, Erica Kueffer, Lily Talcott, and the Brown children’s teachers.
The Editorial Board reached out to the Instagram account Stressed at IHS and requested the responses from a recent survey they did about the board’s handling of the situation. The quotes below are just some of the dozens of responses received. They reflect the students body’s concern about the difference between the BoE’s supposed values and their actions.
“This matter should not be taken lightly. Do not use your ‘culture of love’ to cover up the mistakes you’ve made. You need to be honest with your community and you must respect our voices and opinions, especially those of our youth”
“What happened to ownership and integrity?!!!”
“You need to be transparent about these things”
“In order to restore confidence, the ICSD needs more transparency. They deserve that.”
Other responses ranged from calls for Brown’s resignation to anger about how little the student voice matters to the BoE. The IHS student body is exasperated from having no say in the matters of the District and being silenced when they attempt to speak out.
ICSD must pursue justice fairly, earnestly, and relentlessly. It would be an arrant mistake for the calls for justice to go unanswered. The Ithaca community will not accept a verdict reached from behind closed doors, nor by individuals who have been dismissive of the gravity and relevance of the issue. If these claims are proven false, students want them proven false in a way everyone is able to trust and accept, so that the community can move on; if they are proven true, students want to ensure accountability will follow. It is particularly essential that the Board of Education align with their professed values and act as mature role models for all the ICSD students watching. The Tattler Editorial Board demands complete transparency about the investigation that must occur and proper consequences for the parties involved.