Plum School District settles discrimination claim with job applicant for $5K

The Plum School District will revise its application process as part of an agreement settling a discrimination allegation.

The district agreed to pay Eile Demkee $5,000 to resolve Demkee’s claims. That amount, inclusive of attorney’s fees and costs, will be paid by the district and/or its insurance carrier.

The district released the settlement agreement Thursday in response to a Right to Know request filed by TribLive. The school board had approved it at a special voting meeting on July 16.

According to the agreement, Demkee had applied for positions of employment with the district in the summer of 2023. The positions were not identified.

On Jan. 15, Demkee filed a charge of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, “with claims arising out of Demkee’s applications of employment with the district,” the agreement states.

No details on the discrimination alleged were included. A spokeswoman for the Human Relations Commission said it cannot confirm if a complaint was filed or discuss its status.

“Complaints only become public if they are on the public hearing docket,” spokeswoman Amanda Brothman said.

As part of the settlement, Demkee and her counsel agreed the discrimination charge is resolved and that they will withdraw it.

Demkee also agreed to withdraw all pending applications to the district, including an employment application dated Aug. 10, 2023. Further, she will not apply for, accept or seek reemployment with or through the district again.

Included in the agreement is a provision that the district will revise its application process “to clarify that when an applicant applies for a ‘holding pool’ position, the district may keep their application on file to consider in the future, but the application is not for a specific, open position that the district is actively seeking to fill.

“It is understood that the district may post a disclaimer on its website regarding the application process,” the agreement reads.

Jennifer Macro, who is the executive assistant to the superintendent, school board secretary and the district’s Right-to-Know officer, declined to provide additional information on the application process provision of the agreement.

“We cannot comment further on the settlement between the parties, other than producing the settlement agreement,” she said.