BGISD superintendent and director of technology placed on probation

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Bowling Green Independent School District Superintendent Gary Fields and the district’s director of technology, William King, are placed on probation following a racial discrimination lawsuit.

The lawsuit was originally filed by the Bowling Green High School Girls’ Head Basketball Coach, Lavonda Johnson, in 2017 after her dismissal.

Also named as plaintiffs in the suit are two of the team’s assistant coaches that were let go in 2016.

Court documents from the original lawsuit state that the coaches claimed they were let go because of their race and that Johnson was retaliated against after reporting the discrimination.

In response to the complaints in the lawsuit, Fields said, “At the time, I felt the decision was in the best interest of the students in our district and I would make the exact same decision against today if presented with the same situation.”

In 2021, the court dismissed the retaliation claims and the claims of racial discrimination were settled out of court.

In yesterday’s statement, Fields said, “In resolving this matter, I have not admitted to any wrongdoing, and the Bowling Green Board of Education has supported me and my decision making throughout this five-year process. I could have had a hearing to dispute the anonymous complaint; however, based on both the time and expense necessary, it would have been a distraction to my current work and priorities of the school district.”

Yesterday, the Education Professional Standards Board placed Fields on five years probation and ordered him to complete 20 hours of training on racial bias and diversity and inclusion, among other topics.

King, who was the Bowling Green High School principal at the time, was placed on two years probation and to the same 20 hours of racial bias and diversity training.

News 40 did reach out to Bowling Green City Schools for a comment from King, but that request was declined.