One of Central District Health’s senior leaders has resigned after months of turmoil and employee resignations, according to an internal email shared with the Idaho Statesman by former and current employees.
Stephanie Myers, a division administrator hired in 2022 by the Boise-based public health district that serves four counties, was one of two leaders at the district frequently named in allegations of retaliation and discrimination from 17 employees who spoke with the Statesman in late 2023.
The email announcing Myers’ resignation, sent to employees Sept. 19 by District Director Russ Duke, did not provide a reason for her resignation. Maria Ortega, a spokesperson for the district, declined to comment, citing employee records’ confidentiality. Myers did not respond to a text message or email seeking comment.
”Stephanie Myers has resigned from her position,” the email reads. “She won’t be returning to the office.”
In late 2023, amid a spate of departures of long-term employees at the health district, former employees described a pattern of retaliation that they said jeopardized public health services.
Some said they faced backlash after bringing up concerns about discrimination against Hispanic employees. Others said they were punished for pushing back on district actions that flouted best practices for public health. Several longtime employees reported feeling distrusted and micromanaged.
Myers’ name, along with that of the district’s human resources officer, Gary Foote, came up repeatedly in employees’ complaints.
One former employee, Cass Thompson, sued CDH in July, alleging that the agency wrongfully fired her and violated the Americans with Disabilities Act. She alleged that Myers and Foote had told employees they couldn’t speak Spanish in the workplace unless they were working with Spanish-speaking clients, and that her ultimate firing was in retaliation for her pushback against those orders, according to the complaint.
Thompson was one of several CDH employees who went on family medical leave, returned to work, were fired and were barred from receiving unemployment benefits, the Statesman reported. Thompson declined to comment for this story, citing advice from her lawyer not to speak to the press while the lawsuit was ongoing.
In a February 2023 email obtained by the Statesman, Myers told staffers that “the use of Spanish, or any other language, is not prohibited in practice or policy at CDH.” She went on to say that staffers should be “inclusive in conversations in business areas within CDH,” and to be aware of “the perception that may occur” when speaking a language in the presence of those who don’t understand it.
In 2023, Myers directed the Statesman’s questions about the culture at the health district to Duke. Duke, in an email to the Statesman at the time, called the incident about language use a “rumor” that stemmed from a staff misunderstanding of a conversation with Myers.
“There has never been an English-only policy at CDH,” Duke wrote. “It is common now and has always been common to overhear multiple languages other than English being spoken in work areas, hallways and break rooms at CDH. Nevertheless, it is appropriate to remind staff to be inclusive when questions arise, and that is what we did.”
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