On Tuesday the results of an open records request showed that the Frenship ISD made a settlement agreement with Karen Fitzgibbons in exchange for her resignation as a 4th grade teacher at Bennett Elementary.
In June, Fitzgibbons wrote a post to Facebook that went viral. Many considered it racist.
She wrote in reference to a racially charged incident in McKinney. A white officer was accused of throwing a young black girl to the ground at a party. The incident was recorded on video and made national news. The officer resigned.
In part Fitzgibbons wrote, “The blacks are the ones causing the problems and this ‘racial tension.’”
She also wrote, “I’m almost to the point of wanting them all segregated on one side of town so they can hurt each other and leave the innocent people alone.”
Once her post made news locally, she told a reporter for EverythingLubbock.com that her Facebook comments were blown out of proportion.
Fitzgibbons submitted her resignation on June 12 for “personal reasons.” But it was actually part of a deal with Frenship.
“Fitzgibbons does hereby agree to submit her resignation as an employee of the school district…” the settlement agreement said.
In exchange, Fitzgibbons was promised that Frenship ISD would not report her conduct to “any authority outside the district.”
The agreement also said, “The district agrees that if a prospective employer of Fitzgibbons seeks information about Fitzgibbon’s employment with the district, the district … will provide a reference consistent with her Professional Development and Appraisal System evaluations.”
The district also agreed not to provide prospective employers with information beyond what had already been reported in the media.
And finally, “This agreement is not and shall not be construed as an admission of any wrongdoing by Fitzgibbons or the district.”
Fitzgibbon’s evaluations were not included in the open records request. She was employed by Frenship since 1999.
