Published: December 19, 2007 12:50 am      

Police called after incident at WO-C office

By Tommy Mann Jr.

The Orange Leader



ORANGE — Police were called to the West Orange-Cove Administration Building Monday morning after an incident that is being investigated as a Class A or Simple Assault involving a district administrator, her attorney and a process server when the trio were attempting to meet with Superintendent O. Taylor Collins to serve him with legal papers.

Jamie Wilson, an administrator at Anderson Elementary in Orange, and her attorney, Larry Watts, have filed a request with the 128th District Court that a hearing on the status of her contract scheduled for Dec. 31 be delayed or dismissed.

On Monday morning, Watts, Wilson and an unidentified process server arrived at the West Orange-Cove Consolidated Independent School District Administration Building to serve papers to Collins. According to a police report, Collins was in a meeting at the time of Watts’ arrival. Lorraine Shannon, WO-C CISD public information officer, interrupted the meeting to inform Collins of Watts’ arrival.

Collins requested for Shannon to ask Watts to schedule an appointment or wait until the meeting was over.

According to the police report, Watts was not satisfied with Shannon’s response, so she again interrupted Collins’ meeting and informed him of Watts' comments. Collins suggested Watts leave the papers on his secretary’s desk.

A short time later, Watts was met at the superintendent’s office door by Margaret Duchamp, executive director of human resources, who was in the meeting with Collins.

According to Duchamp’s statement in the police report, she attempted to close the door and inform Watts they were in a meeting when the door was pushed open. Duchamp told police her left wrist and her right shoulder were then grabbed and she was moved out of the way.

The process server then walked into Collins' office and placed the legal papers on Collins’ desk.

Duchamp requested for Shannon to call 911, which she did. Watts, Wilson and the process server left before police arrived at the scene. Duchamp told police she still feels pressure in her wrist and she does intend to file charges.

The court action filed against the district stems from a Nov. 26 school board meeting at which the superintendent’s recommendation that Wilson’s contract, which expires June 30, 2008, not be renewed was scheduled to be discussed in executive session. Wilson reportedly requested the discussion be held in open session, which the school board approved. However, Wilson reportedly then left the meeting prior to her discussion with the school board.

According to the minutes of the meeting, Collins then requested the school board table the proposal of Wilson’s nonrenewal until a later date. Collins would not go into details on the proposed nonrenewal of Wilson’s contract, saying it was a personnel matter, but he did issue a statement.

“It appears that Wilson may be attempting to bypass the processes set out in the Texas Education Code,” Collins said in his statement. “The matter is scheduled for Dec. 31, and I am confident that the court will be able to sift through Mrs. Wilson’s claims and will allow the district to take appropriate action.”

Currently, Wilson is on administrative leave with pay while the matter waits to be resolved.

A phone call to attorney Larry Watts was not returned by late Tuesday.



Reach this reporter at 409-883-3571, Ext. 2619 or tmann@orangeleader.com