Joris Ray supervised 2 girls he allegedly had affairs with

Memphis-Shelby County Colleges Superintendent Joris Ray supervised no less than two girls his spouse alleges he had affairs with, personnel recordsdata reveal.

Worker efficiency analysis paperwork from 2005, 2008, and 2009, acquired by Chalkbeat July 29 through public information requests, present Ray was the direct supervisor of one in every of three girls mentioned to have engaged in a sexual relationship with him in divorce filings. 

Ray turned an alternate faculties coordinator in 2002, and later turned the top of the Workplace of Various Colleges in 2006. The girl’s personnel information for 2008 and 2009 don’t specify the girl’s place, however she held a number of roles, together with as a information clerk, secretary, and administrative assistant in numerous district workplaces whereas employed on the district from August 2001 to October 2018.

The girl acquired excessive marks from Ray in all efficiency critiques. Ray gave her a rating of 30 out of 35 in a June 2005 assessment, when she was a information clerk, calling her a “devoted and constant worker.” 

“She far exceeds the job information for the place,” Ray wrote. “I can’t hesitate to advocate her for any desired place.” 

In a June 2008 assessment, Ray gave the girl a 4.4 out of 5, and a rating of 4.7 in a July 2009 assessment. The girl’s personnel file doesn’t embrace critiques from 2006 or 2007. It additionally doesn’t clarify when she left the Workplace of Various Colleges, however she acquired her first assessment from the district’s coverage workplace in August 2011. 

Earlier this week, The Industrial Enchantment reported one other of the three girls was a subordinate to Ray in 2004, when she is claimed to have signed a nondisclosure settlement about their affair. Chalkbeat obtained these information. 

The timeline and different particulars relating to the 2 alleged affairs are unclear, so it isn’t identified whether or not the alleged affairs happened whereas Ray was supervising the ladies. Ray admitted to having sexual relations exterior of his marriage with three girls in latest court docket filings from his divorce, however the paperwork don’t specify when the alleged relationships occured, apart from a reference to the NDA signed by one of many girls in January 2004.

Robert L.J. Spence Jr., the lawyer representing Ray, didn’t instantly reply to requests for touch upon Friday. In a press release to Chalkbeat earlier this month, Spence mentioned “allegations asserted in court docket pleadings shouldn’t be reported as truths.”

Additionally it is unclear whether or not both of the alleged affairs fall throughout the scope of the college board’s investigation. Requested whether or not the breadth of the investigation has modified, Board Chair Michelle McKissack responded with a press release: “Beneath the steerage of our authorized counsel the Board should restrict feedback whereas the investigation is underway.”

Present district coverage “strongly discourages romantic or sexual relationships between a supervisor or different supervisory worker and their workers,” based on the district’s worker handbook, citing the danger of precise or perceived conflicts of curiosity, favoritism, and bias. 

The coverage additionally requires events to reveal any relationship to managers. Chalkbeat on July 14 filed an open information request asking the college district whether or not Ray disclosed any such relationships. On Friday afternoon, the district responded that it doesn’t possess any such paperwork.

Ray has beforehand denied violating any district insurance policies.

The varsity board additionally has a coverage, adopted in 2017, spelling out the moral code the superintendent should comply with. The code requires the superintendent “to take care of requirements of exemplary skilled conduct” and consists of the next assertion the superintendent should subscribe to: “I’ll endeavor to meet my skilled obligations with honesty and integrity.”

On July 13, the MSCS board voted 7-2 to launch an outdoor investigation into whether or not Ray abused his energy and violated district insurance policies on relationships with co-workers throughout his tenure as superintendent. With the identical vote, the board chosen former U.S. lawyer Edward L. Stanton III to steer the investigation and appointed Herman Morris Jr. to advise the board earlier than, throughout, and after the inquiry. 

Ray, who has served because the chief of Tennessee’s largest faculty district for over three years, stays on paid administrative depart pending the result of the investigation. John Barker, deputy superintendent for strategic operations and finance, and Angela Whitelaw, deputy superintendent of colleges and educational assist, are serving in his place.

Samantha West is a reporter for Chalkbeat Tennessee, the place she covers Okay-12 schooling in Memphis. Join with Samantha at swest@chalkbeat.org.