FLIP PAGES FOR WEBSITE.qxp_Trenton Republican-Times 1/24/22 1:40 PM Page 1
TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2022
R-T
TRENTON
REPUBLICAN-TIMES
75¢
©Honeycutt Media, LLC
Established Sept. 4, 1864 - 158th Year - No. 41
12 PAGES + 2 INSERTS
republican-times.com
City Of Trenton Being Sued By Former Employee Shull Alledges Disability Discrimination A former employee of the City of Trenton has filed a lawsuit against the city alleging discrimination that he endured while in his position with the water/wastewater department. Scott Shull, who was employed as a water/wastewater operator for the city from July 2014 until his termination in May 2020, filed the suit in the Circuit Division of Grundy County Court on Jan. 18. Shull is seeking a jury trial on a petition for damages that he says he incurred from the city’s disability discrimination and retaliation after Shull suffered a medical condition that resulted in an accident while he was at work. The petition states that Shull has filed a charge of discrimination with the Missouri Commission on Human Rights and has been issued a Notice of Right to Sue by the MCHR. According to his petition, Shull was hired in July 2014, with his direct supervisor being Kenny Ricketts. On May 24, 2019 Shull experienced a momentary loss of consciousness/awareness while driving a city truck. The truck bumped a telephone pole as Shull was pulling over to get off the road. He received medical treatment at the scene and while his blood pressure was elevated, he said he was otherwise fine and was released to go home. The following Monday, on or about May 27, 2019, Shull met with Ricketts in his office to discuss the incident and Shull told Ricketts that he had felt lightheaded right before momentarily losing consciousness/awareness. Ricketts instructed Shull to talk with Trenton City Administrator/Utility Director Ron Urton about the health issue, with Shull doing so and providing the same information to Urton. Shull was provided a release to return to work from his medical provider on May 31, 2019. That release advised the plaintiff not to drive until he was cleared by a specialist. That release
WEATHER ALMANAC Day: High/Low Rain Thursday 14/1 — Friday 20/(-2) — Saturday 43/20 — Sunday 41/22 — Barton Campus Sunday 42/20 —
republicantimes.com
was provided to the city and Shull continued to work. Shull claims that Ricketts’ behavior toward him changed after learning of his health issue and that he was treated in a negative and discriminatory/harassing manner, including treating the plaintiff as if he did not know how to do his job; as if he was now incapable of doing his job; failing to communicate with him about job assignments and/or his expectations for job assignments; and making negative comments to Shull and to others about Shull’s health, his temporary medical restrictions and about the “spell” the plaintiff had experienced. Shull alleges that when he questioned Ricketts about job assignments in order to get clarification, he was informed that he did not need to know any additional information. Ricketts allegedly made comments to the plaintiff that he (Ricketts) was giving him job assignments that were “easy,” a comment Shull understood as Ricketts believing that he was disabled and unable to perform his job. Ricketts also allegedly shared private information about Shull’s medical treatment/condition with non-management employees, including Shull’s coworkers, without his consent. Shull alleges that his co-workers were instructed by Ricketts to report any “spells” that Shull might have to him. Beginning in June 2019, Shull sought treatment by a neurologist to determine the cause of his loss of consciousness/awareness and was prescribed medication that temporarily restricted him from operating heavy machinery and working from heights through Aug. 29, 2019. During that time, Shull continued working for the city with those temporary restrictions. On Aug. 30, 2019, Shull’s doctor released him to return to work with no restrictions. Despite presenting the release to his employer, Shull was told that the release was not specific enough and was instructed to seek a more specific release. On Oct. 25, 2019, Shull supplied a letter from his neurologist to the city specifically stating that Shull was released to drive automobiles. On Oct. 28, 2019, Shull and his wife met with Urton to discuss the release to drive and were allegedly told that the letter was not specific to the plaintiff’s job. During that meeting, Shull told Urton that Ricketts had been treating him in a negative and discriminatory/harassing manner related to his health condition. Shull alleges that Urton’s only response was to tell him and his wife that they needed to “cut Rick[See SUIT, Page 3]
BRIEFS Grundy County Spelling Bee
The Grundy County Spelling Bee will be held Friday afternoon in the Trenton R-9 Performing Arts Center. The event is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. and is open to the public. School-level winners from Trenton Middle School, Laredo R-7, Spickard R-2, Pleasant View R-6 and Grundy R-5 are scheduled to compete in the annual contest, with the winners moving on to the Northwest Missouri Regional Spelling Bee in St. Joseph.
THS Courtwarming Coronation
Submitted Photo
IN THE SPIRIT
The cancellation of classes in the Trenton R-9 School District on Thursday and Friday meant a halt to the activities that had been planned for Spirit Week as well as the postponement of the Courtwarming coronation, ballgame and dance. Students did get to enjoy a couple of days of fun, however, including “Anything But A Backpack Day,” which was held Tuesday. Students were encouraged to bring their books to school in “anything but a backpack” and Dylan Gilbertson, pictured, was one of the students who took that to heart, showing up to school with a shopping cart.
STATE OF THE STATE: Parson Proposes Boosting Child Care, Teacher Wages Governor Asks GOP-Led Legislature For Nearly $744 Million In Annual Address JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri's Republican Gov. Mike Parson in his State of the State address Wednesday proposed spending hundreds of millions of dollars to boost child care services and teacher wages as the state battles the latest COVID-19 surge. Parson asked the GOP-led Legislature for $722 million to prop up child care centers and close to $22 million for matching grants to raise teacher salaries to a minimum of $38,000 a year. He praised most Missouri schools for staying open throughout the pandemic and said teachers, such as his daughter, should be thanked and paid more. “Missouri is currently ranked 50th in United States for starting teacher pay and half of our new teachers leave the profession by their fifth year,” he said. “This is unacceptable, and we must do better.” House Democratic Leader Crystal Quade praised the Republican governor for proposing $400 million for high-speed internet and to boost spending on child care, mental health services and teacher wages, though she said a $38,000 minimum teacher salary is still not enough. “We are going to be defending the governor’s budget in a lot of those places,” Quade said. Parson delivered his speech in a nearly full House chamber, where Republicans sat without masks while many Democrats wore them. At least nine lawmakers have come down with COVID-19 since the session begin Jan. 5, though that number may be higher because not all absent lawmakers have provided a reason. Last year, Parson’s speech was shifted at the last moment from
the House to the Senate chamber amid COVID-19 concerns. Parson largely left it up to local health departments to decide how to address the pandemic when the virus first spread to the state. While Parson supports COVID-19 vaccinations and lauded state vaccination rates, he also repeated his opposition to health mandates Wednesday. He credited the state’s economic rebound and 3.5% unemployment rate in November to his decision never to enact statewide business closures. “I don’t support and have never supported mandates,” he said. “Missourians can rest assured that my position will not change.” Quade said Parson’s “hands-off approach” to the coronavirus pandemic “continues to extract a heavy toll, with new cases shattering records almost daily.” Parson said nearly 95% of residents age 65 and older and 73% of adults have received at least one shot. For more context, closer to 86% of seniors and 65% of adults are fully vaccinated, according to the state's health department. About 58% of Missouri residents eligible for the vaccine — meaning children who are at least 5 years old and adults — are fully vaccinated, compared to 67% nationally, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of Missouri’s total population, 55% are fully vaccinated compared to the national rate of 63%. “While there will always be endless critics to tell us how we could have done it better, the facts are we were the ones in the arena,” Parson said. “We made the tough decisions and never cowered to the challenge.” Parson’s budget proposal includes $400 million in American Rescue Plan Act aid for personal protective equipment, emer[See PARSON, Page 3]
The Trenton High School Courtwarming Coronation and Dance has been rescheduled for Saturday evening after being postponed due to inclement weather and illness at the school. The crowning will take place at 8:45 p.m. in the THS gym, with candidates asked to arrive by 8:30. The dance, with formal attire, will follow until 11 p.m. Senior candidates include Gracyn Rongey, Teya Cooksey, Morgan King, Kaden Owen, Nate Burkeybile and Caleb Johnson. Attendants are freshmen Arianna Ortega and Aiden Weyer, sophomores Madi Moore and Milo Simpson and juniors Mercy Schweizer and Gaven Kelsall. The crown bearers are Case Saul, son of Allen and Kendra Saul, and Emerysn Coe, daughter of Corbin and Chelsea Coe. The varsity basketball games that had been scheduled with Milan on Friday have been rescheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 8.
NCMC Board Agenda
The North Central Missouri College Board of Trustees will meet in regular session at 5:30 p.m., Tuesday in the board meeting room of the Frey Administrative Center. Items on the announced agenda include employee introductions, a presentation on math/science/SB sciences department, SEM communication report and reports from the Head Start directors, vice president for academic affairs, vice president of student affairs, chief information officer and president. Under new business, the board will consider the Head Start salary schedule, consideration of bids/purchases, consideration of board policy changes and personnel matters, including Head Start personnel items, a resignation and employments. The board also plans to hold an executive session to discuss personnel, legal matters and real estate.