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Ex-superintendent created “culture of fear” at Sturgeon Public

Caused panic, tears, vomiting in staff
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Clarification
The print verision of this story said the Public Interest Commissioner "released" the report on Mary Lynne Campbell. Commissioner spokesperson Amanda Clements-Harvey clarifies that the commissioner did not issue the report publicly on its website, as the word "released" might imply; instead, it sent the report to Sturgeon Public, who sent it to school staff. This story has been updated to reflect this information.

A former Sturgeon Public Schools superintendent created a “culture of fear” so severe that it provoked panic attacks tears, and vomiting in her staff, the province’s public interest commissioner has found.

The office of the Alberta Public Interest Commissioner sent a report Dec. 28, 2022, to Sturgeon Public Schools on a disclosure of wrongdoing under the Public Interest Disclosure (Whistleblower Protection) Act relating to to the district's former superintendent, Mary Lynne Campbell. The school board shared the report with Sturgeon Public staff on Jan. 16, 2023.

The commissioner is an independent office of the provincial legislature which investigates allegations of wrongdoing in the public service under the Whistleblower Protection Act.

Campbell was superintendent for Sturgeon Public from 2018 until her retirement in June 2022.

The commissioner reported that they received an allegation May 17, 2021, that Campbell had grossly mismanaged employees by a pattern of behaviour indicative of a cultural problem of bullying, harassment, or intimidation, which constituted a wrongdoing under Sect. 3(1)(c)(iii) of the whistleblower act.

The commissioner interviewed 40 current or former employees of Sturgeon Public who had direct contact with Campbell as witnesses. Of those, 39 spoke on the negative impact of Campbell’s actions, equivalent to about 85 per cent of the division’s central office staff. Campbell provided a 189 page written response in defence, along with 1,616 pages of supporting documents and about 25 minutes of video.

“Culture of fear”

Based on their investigation, the commissioner found Campbell’s tenure as superintendent was “characterized by a culture of fear” where she would yell at, bully, and humiliate employees and keep strict control over information, causing confusion and discouraging collaboration.

The commissioner found that 35 witnesses described the culture at Sturgeon Public as one of fear under Campbell’s leadership, and described working there with words such as “toxic,” “awful,” and “a nightmare.”

Twenty witnesses said Campbell used intimidation tactics to bully or control staff, with 11 reporting her yelling at employees. Thirteen said they left Sturgeon Public because of her bullying. Twelve said Campbell’s actions negatively affected their mental health, resulting in medical leave, panic attacks, crying, and, in one case, vomiting.

Fifteen witnesses believed Campbell was spying on staff, and would unplug their office phones, close computers, and turn off cell phones when having conversations at district office as a result. The commissioner found no evidence to suggest Campbell had ever monitored staff email, phone, or private conversations.

Some 31 witnesses said Sturgeon Public’s culture changed for the worse when Campbell became superintendent, the commissioner found. Twenty-one said they feared Campbell would fire them over the slightest mistake, with some saying this fostered a culture of finger-pointing and covering up mistakes. One witness said there was a “collective sigh of relief” when Campbell retired.

The commissioner said Campbell denied showing favouritism or acting in an intimidating, harassing, or bullying matter, and said she did not yell at employees. She said the division already had cultural issues when she arrived, and any negative changes to that culture were caused by the direction of the board.

The commissioner noted that Campbell had questioned the fairness of this investigation, as she was not allowed to learn identities of the witnesses. The commissioner found that they provided as much evidence to Campbell as possible while protecting witness confidentiality (a core requirement of whistleblowing), and had set aside evidence when anonymity prevented Campbell from giving a meaningful response.

The commissioner determined that Campbell’s conduct caused a cultural problem in Sturgeon Schools related to bullying, harassment, and intimidation. Her acts were deliberate “and showed a reckless or wilful disregard for proper management.”

“I conclude, on a balance of probabilities, that Ms. Campbell committed a wrongdoing by grossly mismanaging employees of the Division contrary to Sect. 3(1)(c)(iii) of the Act,” the commissioner wrote.

The commissioner did not make any recommendations specific to Campbell as she was no longer employed with Sturgeon Public.

School community responds

In an email, Sturgeon Public board chair Joe Dwyer said it had become evident since the current board was sworn in on Oct. 27, 2021, that “key information was withheld from the Board which resulted in the Board not fulfilling its governance role” while Campbell was superintendent. The board and current superintendent Shawna Warren had taken steps to ensure such withholding would not happen again.

“This Board is committed to providing environments free from harassment, bullying, discrimination, and violence and to promoting ethical and accountable conduct,” Dwyer wrote, and has worked in the last 14 months to rebuild a culture of trust and transparency.

Dwyer said the board updated its policies last September to ensure the superintendent was accountable to the board. The board was unable to hold Campbell to account as she went on medical leave immediately after the 2021 board election.

In an email sent to Sturgeon Public staff Jan. 16, Warren said the board would consider revisions to the district’s whistleblower protection policy at its Jan. 25 meeting.

In an email, Matthew A. Woodley, legal counsel for Campbell, said his office had raised significant concerns with the commission’s investigation which the commission’s report justifies.

“Ms. Campbell’s conduct at all times was beyond reproach, and we intend to vindicate her hard-earned reputation through the courts,” he said.

Visit www.sturgeon.ab.ca/download/408134 to download the commissioner's report.


Kevin Ma

About the Author: Kevin Ma

Kevin Ma joined the St. Albert Gazette in 2006. He writes about Sturgeon County, education, the environment, agriculture, science and aboriginal affairs. He also contributes features, photographs and video.
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