GREENWICH, Conn. — Editors Note: The video above aired in September 2022.
An investigation into Greenwich Public School's alleged discriminatory hiring practices has concluded with no evidence of discrimination having been found.
The allegations were prompted by a hidden camera video by controversial provocateurs Project Veritas. Former Greenwich Assistant Principal Jeremy Boland was recorded in conversation saying that he had participated in discriminatory hiring practices while employed.
Mr. Boland subsequently resigned from his position with GPS.
An independent investigation into these claims was then launched by the Town of Greenwich. The investigation was conducted by the law firm Day Pitney LLP. Day Pitney attorneys Stanley A. Twardy Jr., Jennifer M.Palmer, and Taylor E. Anderson worked with consultants from Charles River Associates.
The report released on Tuesday said that no evidence of systemic discrimination based on age, religion, or political affiliation by the GPS during the period of 2017 to 2022 was found.
“The long-awaited independent report that I authorized is now out and I want to thank Stan Twardy and his team for their work on this issue,” First Selectman Fred Camillo said. “It was an effort undertaken with the intent of finding out whether or not the incident in question was isolated or representative of a more systematic problem. I, like so many others, am relieved to see the findings did not uncover any widespread bias. The people of Greenwich deserve to know that their school system, like all other parts of Town government, is fair, impartial and effective in its missions. Let us move forward with this lesson in mind so that we may never have to request another investigation like this again in the future.”
The investigation determined that no one person could ever act alone to hire a new teacher or administrator for the school system and that there was no evidence of systematic discrimination such as the video alleged.
The scope of the investigation was exclusively on the hiring of teachers and administrators by the GPS to determine if there was any hiring discrimination on the basis of age, religion, or political affiliation. Day Pitney reviewed GPS hiring practices and interviewed more than 40 teachers and administrators. Additionally, Charles River Associates analyzed a database for 11,231 applicants covering 732 hiring events between 2017 and 2022.
In the film's conclusion, they said:
"Our investigation did not uncover any evidence of systematic teacher or administrator hiring discrimination on the basis of age, religion, or political affiliation during the covered period. The numerous GPS employees with whom we spoke were uniform in their denial of any knowledge or suspicion of such discrimination, and many of them were able to articulate credible, non-discriminatory reasons for recommending particular candidates they interviewed for hire. In addition, our review of the hiring process at GPS indicates that hiring decisions were not made without the involvement of an interview committee, meaning that no single person acted alone in making a hire. The mandatory involvement of an interview committee for GPS teacher and administrator hires forms a meaningful structural impediment to systematic discrimination. Finally, in-depth data analysis of GPS employment records concerning the ages of teacher job applicants versus successful teacher candidates did not reveal patterns that suggest differences correlated with age."
Connecticut's attorney general also launched an investigation into the incident -- his office has yet to release its findings.
The Project Veritas board removed James O'Keefe from in February for what it said was financial malfeasance. The organization laid off over half of its staff last week, and the Westchester County District Attorney is investigating O'Keefe's actions.
---
Have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at newstips@fox61.com
----
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS
Download the FOX61 News APP
iTunes: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.
Steam Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.