GEORGETOWN, Del. - Bradley Layfield, the principal of Sussex Central High School who has been on administrative leave for six months following a criminal investigation, has received written notice that he is being fired. Layfield's legal team said he was notified on Saturday, though they declined to release the letter.
"The reasons given are false and defamatory," said Thomas Neuberger, Layfield's lawyer.
This comes days after a Nov. 15 Indian River School Board meeting in which board members opened the floor to public comment and voted on recommended actions for two unnamed employees, one of which was Layfield.
According to Neuberger, Layfield was not fired in relation to creating or circulating a meme comparing former student Aniya Harmon, whose breast was exposed during a May fight at Sussex Central, to Janet Jackson. He said the firing is related to showing fight surveillance video to staff "who he felt had a need to know" and that the indecent exposure could not be seen without a frame-by-frame analysis.
"Aniya Harmon and her family are pleased by the school board's decision to terminate the employment of the individuals responsible for sharing video of her exposed breast at Sussex Central High School," Emeka Igwe, managing partner of the Igwe Firm and one of the attorneys representing Harmon, told CoastTV News. "What happened to Ms. Harmon is outrageous and we will ensure that those responsible for violating her privacy are held accountable. It is reprehensible to think that those we entrust to protect our students would share something so intimate, particularly in a joking manner."
Igwe continued to say that Harmon and her family would like to see criminal charges come from the situation as a way to deter something similar happening to another student in the future.
Layfield and his team are planning to fight his termination at a public hearing where his team said he will call student, faculty and staff witnesses. The Neuberger Firm has also formed the Layfield Legal Defense Fund to finance his defense and a federal lawsuit.
According to Neuberger, Layfield's contract was violated since he was never suspended or docked pay in the past, and that he has a right to a progressive discipline plan. He also said the firing violates his rights to due process and that the alleged reasons are "vague, overbroad and undefined."
Neuberger stated Layfield's termination is a "politically-driven vendetta." Though details were not shared, he said Layfield is targeted due to his association with his brother, Rodney Layfield, who previously served as a school board representative. Rodney Layfield did not run in the 2023 school board race following an investigation into an altercation with coaches from a visiting school during a Sussex Central football game last year.
In the statement regarding Bradley Layfield's termination, Neuberger criticized the Indian River School Board, saying the votes to fire him were irregular. At the meeting last Wednesday, seven board members voted "yes" to proceed with a recommendation that was initially kept private.
"Given that Wednesday evening's board actions concerned personnel matters, we must refrain from comment in respect of our employees' privacy rights," Dr. Jay Owens, Indian River School District superintendent, told CoastTV News on Friday. "The personnel agenda from the executive session described the capacity in which, and building where, the employees are assigned. Any action taken is protected from disclosure."
On the 10-member board, six votes were needed for action. Seven voted "yes" and three abstained.
"Two specific female board members should have recused themselves for reasons they fully know, and the five remaining votes were not enough to terminate with a 10-person board," Neuberger said.
Though the matter was not public at the time of the meeting, voting was. Board members voting to terminate Layfield included Board President Leolga Wright, Derek Cathell, Dr. Heather Statler, Dr. Donald Hattier, Ivan Neal, Constance Pryor and Kimberly Taylor. Vice President James Fritz, Gerald Peden and Madeline Moses abstained. When asked, the Neuberger Firm would not specify which two board members it was speaking about.
The firm said it hopes the termination hearing will take place in 2024.
The Indian River School District declined to comment.