Temp service fired substitute teacher for racist remarks

Thesubstitute teacher accused of making racist remarks to a Black student at Findlay High School in September was "immediately terminated from Renhill Group," company President Barrie Howell said on Tuesday. The substitute teacher was hired by Findlay City Schools through the temporary service. "We take matters such as this very seriously," said Howell. "As soon as we were made aware of the situation from Findlay City Schools, he was immediately terminated from Renhill Group, meaning he is not eligible to work for any of our client districts. We are continually focused on providing substitute teachers who create a safe and positive learning environment for students." All of the district's substitute teachers are hired through Renhill, an employment service company headquartered at 2650 North Reynolds Road, Toledo. The district has been hiring through Renhill since January 2012. At the Sept. 26 regular meeting of the Findlay City Schools Board of Education, community members confronted the board about the incident. At the meeting, Crates-Miller said the administration was aware of the "egregious situation that happened at Findlay High School. ... This behavior has absolutely no place in Findlay City Schools, and it will never be tolerated." She said the substitute was no longer employed by the district. The city school district is still in need of both teachers and bus drivers. Relaxed rules Findlay school board has approved the use of substitute teachers with temporary licenses again this school year, but only for those substitute teachers who were screened locally and worked in the school district last school year, Crates-Miller said. The state Legislature relaxed the rules for substitute teachers in the 2020-21 school year in an effort to address the teacher shortage during the COVID-19 pandemic. The rule allows Ohio schools to hire individuals to work as substitute teachers without a post-secondary degree through the 2023-24 school year. Candidates must meet education requirements set by the school district, be deemed of good moral character and complete a criminal background check. Crates-Miller said typically, after completing the district's interview process, Renhill works with the substitute candidates to secure licensing through the Ohio Department of Education. On Tuesday, Howell said the Renhill Group works diligently to ensure fully qualified teachers are placed in all the school districts served by the company's workers. "We follow ODE requirements for all substitutes and have strict protocols and training requirements for vetting prospective subs," said Howell. "As you know, due to the shortage of subs, ODE has dropped the bachelor's degree requirement. While Findlay City Schools does have some subs that fall into this category, this individual does not." All regular meetings of the Findlay school board are livestreamed on YouTube. Video of the Sept. 26 meeting of the Findlay school board is available online via YouTube at Findlay City Schools.