Angelina College in Lufkin, Texas, has agreed to settle a race discrimination lawsuit filed by a former employee. The college agreed to a $315,000 settlement in the case.
Monica Peters-Clark was hired by the college in 2005 as the learning outcomes coordinator and the quality enhancement plan coordinator. In 2007, she was promoted to coordinator of institutional effectiveness. She was laid off in 2017 as part of “administrative restructuring.”
In 2022, the college recreated an executive position similar to what Dr. Peter-Clark held before. But initially, she was not given an interview. A board member later asked for Dr. Peters-Clark to be considered. She was given an interview but a White candidate was hired the next day.
Dr. Peters-Clark filed an employment discrimination complaint with the Texas Workforce Commission Civil Rights Division. That complaint was dismissed in April 2023, prompting Dr. Peters-Clark to file a lawsuit in federal court against Angelina College to “correct unlawful discrimination practices in the workplace based on race.”
Just before the case was to go to trial the parties agreed to the settlement.
Angelina College enrolls nearly 3,900 students, according to the most recent data available from the U.S. Department of Education. Blacks make up 14 percent of the student body.
