NEW IBERIA, La (KLFY)- One former Iberia Parish School Board worker is speaking out after being fired from the school board twice.
Once in 1997 after filing sexual assault claim against her supervisor.
Once in April after being accused of lying on an application.
Maureen Francis says, “I had to go bring breakfast to him, to his office and when I went in and gave him his breakfast tray, which I really didn’t want to do and I didn’t find it was my responsibility find out he come eat in the cafeteria. He made sexual advances towards me after that and I rebuffed it. And I didn’t bring him breakfast over there no more I told the manager.”
This incident in 1997 is what began Francis’ fight with the Iberia Parish school board.
She was working as a cafeteria worker at Belle Place middle when she filed a sexual assault complaint against the school principal.
“As a result of me reporting the sexual-harassment to my superiors, the cafeteria manager, that’s when they set up a plan to get rid of me,” Francis says.
According to Francis, she was sent back through training and was transferred to Park elementary where she was fired four months later for dishonesty, insubordination and willful neglect of duty, and incompetence.
“I came from the school where they had one manager and two workers and I was doing my job signed and had like I said satisfactory which is the highest remarks on my evaluation,” she recalls.
Francis says she still doesn’t understand why she was fired in 1997.
In November of 2016, Francis applied to be a bus driver for the Iberia Parish School Board.
“The application I filled out did not ask me if I ever worked for them before, if I ever was fired, terminated, quick, resigned or whatever you never asked me any of that,” Francis says.
When Francis was terminated from the Iberia Parish School Board for the second time they told her it was because she lied on her application.
When Francis applied, she used her former married and maiden name on the form.
“They turned around and decided because of their hate, because of their retaliation and because of that 20-year-old sexual-harassment suit they decided to go ahead and can me one more time,” Francis says.
Francis says she has endured this fight not just for her, but for those who can’t fight for themselves.
“I should’ve been able to go to work and not have to worry about sleeping with my supervisor, superiors just because they want to,” she says.
News Ten spoke to the current superintendent of the Iberia Parish School System on the phone today and he looked into the matter right away.
But due to the nature of the incidents, there are limited details he can release.