The St. Clair County Board of Education is being pressed for answers by the Alabama NAACP, in conjunction with Johnny Williams, a minority business owner.
Mr. Williams has been providing cleaning services to the school system for a duration of 12 years.
He now asserts that his termination was unjust and driven by racial bias.
On Friday morning, the NAACP, Williams, and his business manager Charles Jones came together to hold a press conference.
In December 2022, Saint Clair County re-listed the contractual custodial services for bid.
Johnny Williams, operating under the umbrella of Vanguard Cleaning Systems, was awarded the contract as the lowest bidder.
On August 18th, 2023, Williams received notification to offer services to a total of 8 schools and 4 facilities within the district. His services were scheduled to commence on August 21st, 2023.
On September 22nd, 2023, just a month later, Williams received notification that his company’s contractual janitorial services were no longer required.
He received a directive to pack up and leave immediately, with the additional information that he was permanently banned from participating in any future contract bids.
“They terminated our contract without providing any specific information. All they mentioned was that we failed to address a problem within 10 days,” Williams explained, frustrated by the lack of transparency.
“He added that they instructed us to engage in conversation with the superintendent of the board.”
Williams claims that he has attempted to accomplish this task, but has not received any response.
The NAACP is now calling for action to be taken.
In my conversation with Bernard Simelton, the President of the Alabama NAACP, he shared his perspective on why they believe this termination carries racial undertones.
Simelton believes that the decision to replace Mr. Williams was motivated by his race. He points out several key factors that support this claim, such as the color of Mr. Williams’ skin, the amount of money he would have received, and the opportunity given to the person who replaced him. According to Simelton, these factors strongly indicate that race played a significant role in the decision-making process.
According to Williams, there was no clear explanation or evidence provided to support the claim of inadequate work.
Furthermore, he asserts that his team of 12 employees were lured away by other companies.
He believes that the services provided cannot be justified due to this.
Bubba Ingram, the owner of Perfection Improvements, is currently responsible for carrying out the duties of the custodial contract.
Williams stated that the contract was for a duration of one year, with a monthly payment of $45,000.
According to Williams, the money that was taken away from him was truly life-changing.
“I won’t back down. I will continue to fight, giving it my all until my last breath. I am determined to seek justice,” declared Williams passionately.
The NAACP, along with Williams and his business manager, are making a straightforward request.
Simelton stated that he advocated for two main things: first, the reinstatement of his contract, and secondly, restitution for the time he missed.
After attending the conference, we made our way to the school board building to have a conversation with one of the school board leaders. Unfortunately, we were informed that the superintendent, Dr. Justin Burns, was currently on vacation.
At the time of publication, we have not received a response from the school board despite having asked them several questions.
As more information becomes available, we will keep a close eye on this story and provide regular updates.
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