Mathis declined to comment on the allegations today and would only say: "I removed my resignation." Mathis served on the board since 2008 and was elected president by his peers in January. (Steve Perez / The Detroit News)

Detroit school board chief resigns amid sexual harassment complaint and DPD investigation

By COREY WILLIAMS
Associated Press Writer

DETROIT (AP) -- School board members refused Friday to reinstate the group's former president, who resigned a day earlier following allegations he fondled himself repeatedly in front of the district's superintendent.

Otis Mathis was given a letter stating his request for reinstatement had been denied.

Mathis, 56, resigned Thursday, the same day Teresa Gueyser filed a complaint with the school district's Public Safety department.

"I have made inappropriate actions toward a professional employee of the board," Mathis wrote in a letter to new board President Anthony Adams announcing his resignation. "I deeply regret my actions."

In a 2-page letter to the board, Gueyser detailed Mathis' action during a private meeting Wednesday about contracts and other matters in school board offices. She said she tried to ignore him and on several occasions "asked him not to touch himself."

"During the discussion, President Mathis began to stroke his genital area with his right hand," Gueyser wrote, adding that Mathis made similar gestures during past meetings.

Mathis was attending a court hearing on another matter Friday and declined comment when approached by reporters, but said he had not resigned from the board.

Messages left Friday at Gueyser's office by The Associated Press weren't returned.

Mathis met with board members Thursday, and "we requested Mr. Mathis resign from the board," said Adams, who until the resignation had been the group's vice president.

Mathis gave Adams another letter Friday asking that the resignation be rescinded, but the original resignation letter contained no conditions that would allow him to return, Adams said.

"The board's past practice is that a resignation is effective upon submission to the board secretary," he said. "I think it's pretty clear cut. Any attempt to retract it is null and void."


Superintendent Teresa Gueyser accuses Mathis of touching himself during a recent meeting. She called it his "usual habit" during one-on-one meetings. (Clarence Tabb, Jr. / The Detroit News)

Gueyser's letter, dated Wednesday, said Mathis fondled his genital area for about 20 minutes during the meeting and she used papers to block her view.

Mathis unzipped his pants, then pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and placed it "in the zipper area of his pants, appearing to wipe himself," according to the letter. He later began "moving his hand as if to be masturbating in front of me," she wrote.

Mathis said he was "sorry" and asked her not to go, the letter said.

Gueyser's claims come at a critical time as the school board fights for credibility.

The 11 board members were in court Friday for a hearing in an unrelated lawsuit they filed against emergency financial manager Robert Bobb, who was appointed in March 2009 by Gov. Jennifer Granholm to fix money troubles plaguing Detroit Schools. Board members believe he overstepped his authority by making academic decisions and claim they've been unable to do their jobs because Bobb controls the district's finances.

Board member Carla Scott said she spoke with Gueyser on Wednesday and told her to let police take care of the matter.

"We can't afford a circus," Scott said of Mathis' troubles. "We can't let his mistakes be our problem."

Fellow board member Carol Banks added: "We're trying to move to the next level."

Mathis, a married father of six adult children, acknowledged earlier this year to having problems writing coherently after e-mails filled with grammatical errors and poor sentence structure were made public. Before his 2008 election to the board, he had been a substitute teacher and served as a county commissioner.

Gueyser's allegations against Mathis are the latest in a string of scandals involving Detroit elected leaders.

Ex-City Council President Monica Conyers is expected to report to federal prison on July 1 to begin a 37-month sentence for corruption.

Former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is serving at least 14 months in state prison for violating probation in a 2008 criminal case. The married Kilpatrick was forced to resign in disgrace that year after sexually explicit text messages with his former top aide contradicted testimony each gave in a 2007 civil trial.