A former NFL player turned educator has filed a discrimination complaint against a Massachusetts school district and several local agencies for “explicitly racist behavior” while he was serving as superintendent.
Dr. Omar Easy, the ousted superintendent of Wayland Public Schools, filed the complaint Friday against the school district, the school board, the Town of Wayland, and individuals on the school board, claiming he was the victim of racial discrimination and retaliation.
“As a result of [the] Respondents’ discriminatory, retaliatory, and other unlawful actions, I have suffered, and continue to suffer, significant harm, including emotional distress,” Easy wrote in the complaint.
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The former football player says he became the first person of color to helm Wayland Public Schools in February 2021. All members of the school board are white.
Despite his accomplishments—including obtaining grant money for the district and implementing safety measures in the midst of the pandemic—Easy alleges that he immediately experienced discriminatory acts after he took the job. According to the complaint, the board used racial dog whistles, like “baselessly questioning [his] motives” and suggesting that he made educators “uncomfortable,” to portray him as being aggressive, lazy, and otherwise incompetent.
He also claimed that white administrators refused to participate in activities he organized during leadership retreats and said the school committee refused to punish a white administrator who had shown racist behavior toward a Black administrator.
In December 2021, Easy said the Wayland school committee ignored his requests for something to be done about racist graffiti that had been plastered on the walls of a district middle school, reading “[N****R],” “BLACK PEOPLE DIE,” and “ALL BLACK PEOPLE NEED TO LEAVE THE DISTRICT NOW.”
“I was accused of ‘destroying Wayland’s culture,’” Easy said in the complaint, which also claims white administrators blasted him for previously working in a Black-majority school district.
In December 2022, he became the “victim of a hate crime at work,” when “OMAR = [N****R]” was written near the district’s high school, the complaint states.
“This is not the first time explicitly racist behavior has targeted me, Black employees, and Black students in Wayland,” Easy claimed in the complaint. “Such behavior has been the apex of a hostile work environment fostered and stoked by the Wayland School Committee.”
Easy brought up the discriminatory behavior during board meetings, the complaint says, at which point the district tried to punish him for speaking out.
“Rather than follow policy and my employment agreement, Wayland…issued public notice that discipline would be considered against me,” the complaint states.
In January 2023, the superintendent expressed concerns about the alleged racially hostile work environment, saying “not-so-subtle attacks…[had] gotten more and more emboldened.” He said the school committee investigated him for misconduct, but the district’s attorney didn’t find any wrongdoing. Instead of publicizing the matter, Easy claimed the school committee hid that information and tried to find other methods to oust him.
On Feb. 8, Easy was involuntarily placed on leave as superintendent of Wayland schools.
“In retaliation and without advance notice or explanation…the School Committee removed me from my position,” Easy said in the complaint, which included a letter of leave from the district.
Easy’s attorneys declined to comment on the matter.
Prior to working at Wayland, Easy was the executive director of The Academies at Everett High School, MetroWest Daily News reported. Before pursuing a career in education, he played in the NFL for the Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders.
According to the Boston Herald, ahead of joining Wayland, the school district said it was “impressed” with Easy’s “passion for education and his student focused approach.”
In a request for comment, Wayland Public Schools spokesperson Alia Spring told The Daily Beast that the school committee is aware of Easy’s complaint.
“As this is a pending legal matter, we are unable to comment on the specific allegations,” the prepared statement read. “However, the School Committee wishes to reiterate that the Wayland Public Schools seeks to foster a welcoming, inclusive, anti-racist environment; our actions have and will continue to demonstrate a commitment to those principles. We are asking the members of our school community for their patience during this time.”
The Town of Wayland did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
