An Ohio teacher who was suspended from her job for directing insults and racially insensitive remarks toward her colleagues and pulling down her pants during a school board meeting recently issued an apology for her behavior. During a Sycamore Community Schools board meeting in Sept. 2024, Daniel le Scrase called Sycamore High School Principal Taylor Porter an “incompetent Black man,” and texted a district employee, “U know Ur a joke Rite? And ur lucky 2 have ur job and pay.” Danielle Scrase was caught on camera pulling her pants down at a school. (Photo: YouTube/WLWT) Surveillance video also caught Scrase pulling down her pants and exposing her bare buttocks three different times while she was on her way to the restroom. Multiple witnesses reported that Scrase smelled like alcohol during the meeting and believed she was under the influence. Following a district investigation, Scrase was suspended from her teaching position for 15 days. She recently sent a letter to the district apologizing for “unprofessional behavior” that drew widespread attention in the community. “I write this letter to apologize for my unprofessional behavior in my role as president of the Sycamore Education Association at the Sycamore Community Schools’ September 18, 2024 board of education meeting,” reads the March 31 letter from Scrase. “I have been silent up to this point because of confidentiality restrictions placed upon me, but these have been lifted so that I may write this.” During the district’s investigation of the educator’s conduct, Scrase admitted that she exposed herself near the restroom but said she was in a different part of the building where the meeting was held and that no one was around. She also confessed to calling Porter — who oversees the school where she works — “an incompetent Black man,” but said those comments were “spoken quietly” and “not within earshot of any family members in the audience.” In response to witness reports that she appeared to be under the influence, Scrase said she had one mixed drink, and that beverage combined with some prescription muscle relaxants she was taking might have had some effects on her behavior. “I want to specifically apologize to Sycamore High School Principal Taylor Porter for my racially insensitive comment about him at the Board meeting,” Scrase wrote. “I also want to apologize to the Board, my fellow teachers, staff, parents, and the school community for my unprofessional behavior at the Board meeting, which has brought negativity and distractions to the District.” Scrase previously claimed that she was at the board meeting in her capacity as the Sycamore Education Association’s president and not as a Sycamore Schools teacher. She notified the district that she has since resigned from her SEA position. “I assure you that I have learned from this experience,” wrote Scrase. “I am in my 28th year of teaching, with 26 at Sycamore. My teaching career has been without blemish prior to this incident. I promise to be better moving forward.” Scrase added that she’s agreed to and engaged in counseling and is currently in an assessment process. District officials released her letter to the community “as a necessary step,” according to an email from Sycamore Schools Superintendent Chad Lewis. The school district initially suspended Scrase for 45 days without pay but reduced it to 15 after Scrase challenged their decision and filed a grievance complaint against Lewis, alleging he carries a history of retaliatory behavior against her. She returned to her position in January 2025. Upon learning about Scrase’s suspension, some parents and school community members expressed frustration that the district didn’t opt for harsher disciplinary action for her conduct at the board meeting. According to WLWT, one community member filed a lawsuit against the school board, alleging board members violated the Open Agreements Act by approving the grievance settlement that reduced Scrase’s suspension from 45 days to 15. In a statement, School Board President Sara Ritter wrote: “The January 23, 2025 grievance settlement agreement referenced in the Complaint was signed and approved by the Superintendent. Under the authority given to him through the grievance and arbitration procedure of the collective bargaining agreement with the Sycamore Education Association, the Superintendent has the right to settle employee grievances. This is exactly what he did.” She continued: “The Board did not vote on this Agreement in any capacity, nor was it required to do so. As such, the claims that the Board violated the Open Meetings Act are baseless. The Board will vigorously defend against and fight this lawsuit.” ‘I Promise to Do Better’: Ohio Teacher Suspended for Calling Principal ‘Incompetent Black Man,’ and Exposing Her Herself on Surveillance Video Apologizes for Conduct ...read more read less