Chris Lind, former Prior Lake High school campus supervisor who was fired following allegations of improper conduct and insubordination this June, was elected Tuesday to the body which fired him.
Lind, who finished forth out of eight candidates for four seats for the Prior Lake-Savage school board, was fired after violating district orders not to be in contact with students off-campus. Lind would also allegedly give students “advice” about matters such as homosexuality. Lind, a devout Christian, would tell students that according to the Bible homosexuality is “inappropriate behavior.” One student allegedly overhead Lind speak of “National Pick on Lesbians Day.”
A petition in support of Lind was started when the possibility of his termination came up. Following the termination he threatened to sue but according to the Prior Lake American nothing has yet been filed.
Lind told the American last month he had no ulterior motive for running.
Lind maintains he was wrongfully terminated and data privacy limited discussion. No criminal allegations were involved, he said. He had mentioned pursuing legal action, but no lawsuit has been filed.
Lind says the termination is not his motivation for running. If any legal action would come up, he would abstain from voting as a member of the board, he said.
“I’m not doing this out of spite,” he said. “Three years ago, I wanted to run. For the 2006-07 budget, we had to cut $800,000. The next year, it was more frustrating to cut $1.6 million out of the budget. You just have no idea what that does to the staff.”
One casualty of Tuesday’s election was the fifth-place finisher and three-term incumbent Dick Booth, who voted against firing Lind. Incumbents Diane Ziemann and Eric Pratt finished first and second, respectively. Newcomer Dee Dee Francis finished third.
Also on the ballot were two bond referendum questions. The first question, which failed 40 percent to 60 percent would have hired more teachers and funded the opening of Redtail Ridge Elementary (which gets mothballed now?), among other things. The second question, which failed 38 percent to 62 percent, would have provided for an addition to Prior Lake High School, currently at capacity.
This blogger is an alumnus of Prior Lake High School. Not the “new” one opened in 2004 that is already overflowing with students but the “old” one which is currently used as Twin Oaks Middle School. I also graduated before Lind began employment with the district, so no, I don’t know him personally or anything like that.
