Paris, IL., (ECWd) –
Sam Roberts, Maintenance and Technology Director of Paris School District 95, decided to leave an offensive voicemail to a mother of three students, and a volunteer at the school…because he didn’t like something she posted on her personal Facebook page.
I attended the District 95 school board meeting this evening and voiced my opinion of this voicemail during public comment. It was kind of rough for me to get thru the entire comment, but I needed to have my voice heard.
This message is beyond offensive to the average person. It is pure retaliation for voicing an opinion on Facebook.
This message came after some parents were upset about the “Tiger” being painted over at the old High School football field-house, without any warning to the parents who wanted to have their children’s pictures taken in front of it for their senior year. It was sentimental to them and their children, and a general comment of “those ass-clowns” was made during the conversation – without mentioning any person’s name. For that, Sam thought it prudent to retaliate for the comment and take away public business from the commenter.
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My comments to the Board:
Good afternoon, I am here to talk about the First Amendment and Criminal Intimidation.
The First Amendment guarantees the right of the people to freedom of speech. That means freedom to speak without government intrusion, without government oversight, without government approval, and without government retaliation. Without this most basic right, we are lost as a nation.
A person commits intimidation when, with intent to cause another to perform or to omit the performance of any act, he or she communicates to another, directly or indirectly by any means, a threat to perform without lawful authority any of the following acts:
Take action as a public official against anyone or anything, or withhold official action, or cause such action or withholding…
Intimidation is a Class 3 felony for which an offender may be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of not less than 2 years and not more than 10 years.
How can anyone who is the Maintenance Director of this school district think it is OK to use a telephone under the control of Mayo School and leave a threatening, abusive, offensive message? I will get to that message shortly.
From a Mayo School telephone:
“Hey Amy, this is Sam Roberts, the Ass-Clown. – I understand you are beatin up District 95 on facebook, I don’t quite understand all that Amy, um I called this morning and left you a message about picking up some metal at my shop – you can forget that…uhmm the can thing we had going, you can forget that, we’re done with that, uhm I really don’t appreciate you beatin up District 95…”
The audio recording really shows his offensive tone of voice, please listen to it.
With the “can thing”, Amy has been collecting the cans from the various school kitchens, recycling them, and bringing the cash back to the school for the school’s use. If you remember back a couple of years, for those of you that have been here that long, there was a discussion about the cans and the board agreed to have Amy do this “can thing”. How can taking that away be a public good? It is not, and I demand a public apology.
This is unforgivable, and if he does this to someone he has known for more than 30 years, how does he talk to people he doesn’t know, or who might be too scared to voice their opinions?
Audio of my comments to the board below (with parts trimmed where I had to stop):
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Listen to Sam Roberts’ voicemail here:
If anyone has any other questionable voicemails, emails, etc I would appreciate receiving them.
Old pic of Sam Roberts…if anyone has a newer picture please forward it to me.
23 Comments
Melvin Purvis
Posted at 14:40h, 03 OctoberI don’t have any dog in this fight, either – and it’s an old article – but as I perused your old articles I felt the need to comment, as I am one who believes public employee / accountability is paramount. I think you’re right, John. If a guy would use his position to retaliate – no matter how insignificant the action to some, to someone he knows, just think what he might do to a stranger. And, it’s not even about family / friend VS stranger. Think about every public official or employee you know (or don’t know) who takes or threatens ANY adverse action against a citizen who “offends” them. Where would any / all of us be? Is it ok for any public employee to retaliate, using their public position, just because the target of their anger is is someone they know or are related to? Let that sink in for a minute, folks. I’m not saying anything other than he should (and maybe he was) be brought in, told to keep his nose in his own stall, paddle his own canoe, and keep his mouth shut as it relates to official Dist. 95 business. DO NOT EVER AGAIN, as an employee or representative of Dist. 95, take any adverse action or threaten any adverse action against any person doing business with or providing or receiving services – even if on a volunteer basis / non-compensated – from Dist. 95 – in any manner what-so-ever. Any way, water under the bridge by now. My point is, when you are a public employee or official, your ass best be walking a straight line. The old adage, “You work for me and I pay your salary” is actually true, though it is oft used too often.
cecil brown
Posted at 19:37h, 11 SeptemberWell i think its not ok for a maintance person to call anyone because really he isnt realky the voice of dist95 he is a maintance worker and speaking of that did dist95 know he was useing there property for his own personal use the school paud for it through the tax payers so why does he get to use dist 95 property for his own use when the public cant after all the tax payers bought the stuff he uses for his personal use anyone care to answer that question
Regina Roberts
Posted at 17:59h, 11 SeptemberMr. Kraft you forgot to mention many details, so get the story straight, Amy Hill is Sams Niece and is your stepdaughter, so change your headlines to UNCLE CALLS NIECE AND EXPLAINS ALLEN FIELD REBRANDING ,wasn’t like he called any random person, Sam helped you numerous times when you were janitor at Saint Mary’s, we all don’t understand the resentment, thank you continuing to try to drive wedges into our family, our daughter got killed 3 yrs ago and that has made us all hard , your inflaming headlines are to much and insensitive to my family and are lies,,,did you listen to the voicemail Mr Kraft ? My husband sounds very calm and composed,,,,,,, again thanks for an attack for no reason on my family! Regina Henson Roberts
jmkraft
Posted at 22:45h, 11 September–If you would look in the comments section on our facebook page, all the relationships are mentioned.
–Maybe I should have entitled it SCHOOL EMPLOYEE TAKES FOOD FROM THE MOUTHS OF CHILDREN OF STRUGGLING MOM, REF– USES TO ALLOW HER TO VOLUNTEER AT SCHOOL ALL BECA– USE HE DIDN’T LIKE HER COMMENTS ON FACEBOOK. Or maybe something like SCHOOL EMPLOYEE DECLARES WAR ON WOMAN, TELLS HER SHE NEEDS TO SHUT UP.
–So in your eyes, because my former employer received “help”, you know, not that D95 didn’t get a lot of time in the gym for ball practice without paying for it or anything like that in exchange for the help received…then I am personally liable for life to your husband? and if not, I have some sort of resentment?
–The headlines are not lie, they are the truth, and all you have to do is listen.
–Your husband extracted revenge on a person, does not matter who it was, for exercising her God-given right of free speech, by cancelling her picking up scrap metal, and volunteering her services to dispose of cans from the kitchen. Did you skip over that part in the audio? It starts out with “Hi Amy, this is Sam Roberts, the Ass-Clown” – try listening to it again…you might catch the parts immediately after that introduction.
–Yes he was very calm, and calculated, in extracting revenge over voicemail like a coward. You should be proud of him.
–If you don’t like the articles, get control of your husband and tell him to quit using school resources to retaliate against someone for speaking their mind.
This article is 100% about free speech and his abuse of whatever power he perceives he has.
Philo Beddoe
Posted at 07:29h, 11 SeptemberBrooks Wilson. Another product of dist 95. Still beatin up yer girlfriends?
Brooks Wilson
Posted at 06:53h, 11 SeptemberYou sir are a ass clown!!!! I so wish you would die in a car crash!!!!
jmkraft
Posted at 06:57h, 11 SeptemberOnly with you in the car with me.
Kimela Roberts
Posted at 14:19h, 10 SeptemberOMG,,, talk about schoolyard nonsense. A man defending something he has put his blood sweat and tears in for many many years, is nothing more then dedication to something he stands behind. If you cant stand behind something you have put out there without knowing there will be a reaction, then dont put it out there. The door was opened the minute she made the post on facebook. The fact this is “headline news” is nonsense. Quit the whining.
jmkraft
Posted at 14:25h, 10 SeptemberNo door was open, but I guess there’s no sense in arguing with someone that can’t see retaliation by a public employee when it is handed to them.
The whole point is that nothing warrants retaliation, especially a comment on facebook that doesn’t even mention a name.
former Paris resident
Posted at 11:57h, 10 SeptemberRoberts is a jerk and so is his brother … Maybe the watchdogs aught to look into the times he would have high school kids do work that was suppose to be bid out pre-vailing wage … That was the story I was told …
L
Posted at 11:49h, 10 SeptemberI think the woman should have been more informed before she spoke. It’s s great idea to let mayo use the field at least it’s not going to waste and mayo needs a place to call their own.
Greg Humphrey
Posted at 09:39h, 10 SeptemberHe needs to grow up…I would do his job for less money too…he is a nobody and should apologize to her and district 95 punish. Him for his actions..maybe a month or 2 with zero pay and benefits might open up his eyes…sometimes dumb people need to keep their mouth shut and continue what they do
sheri rogers
Posted at 08:21h, 10 SeptemberHow is what he said offensive in the least bit? Want to know what is offensive? This mother of three getting on social media and calling him an assclown and talking badly about district 95
jmkraft
Posted at 08:30h, 10 SeptemberShe didn’t call him anything, and what is wrong about talking bad about D95? Is that worthy of punishment?
Look at it a different way… let’s say you commented something about the road needing the potholes fixed, and the next thing you know the highway department dug the culvert up so you couldn’t get out of your driveway and the Sec of State canceled your drivers license – and they did this while telling you they didn’t appreciate your comment about the roads needing fixed. Would you call their actions offensive? Would you say you deserved it because you shouldn’t have dared to make a facebook comment?
This is no different – he had no right to do what he did.
Leeanna Dunigan
Posted at 06:04h, 10 SeptemberHere’s my thing, if she has been friends with Sam Roberts for 30 years, then I am sure she has heard worse come from his mouth with a much more rigid tone. We all know Sam Roberts is a jerk, always has been since I went to school there. He’s not going to change. If he has known you for 30 years, then he apparently felt comfortable about confronting you on your fb post. I don’t agree with how he did it, but I think someone needs to grow up and be the adult. We know Sam Roberts won’t be that one.
Gary D.Lane
Posted at 23:57h, 09 SeptemberI would think it offensive…just as equally to be called an as-clown, jmkraft! There are always two sides to every story! Youv’e went to great detail to single out Sam Roberts but you only generalized the person or persons that donned the name ass clown in a public meeting! Come on let’s get real, the only reason you are going after Mr. Roberts is that it makes for news for your weekly tablet and that you feed off of BS like this! Oh and if you want to come after me I live in Mo. Just down the road from Ferguson.
jmkraft
Posted at 06:33h, 10 SeptemberPlease listen to the audio, the “ass-clown” comment was his – he was never called one, and even if he was he had no right to retaliate using public equipment on public time.
michelle
Posted at 23:01h, 09 SeptemberMy opinion is this man is rude. When he has something to say he is not nice about it. Have had a situation where we didn’t know this certain thing couldn’t be done, cause we have seen others do it before with nothing said to them and in a very rude way this man told us don’t ever do this again. I think he needs to learn to chose his words more appropriately. No need to be rude. We are all human and make mistakes.
darrell
Posted at 22:45h, 09 SeptemberGlory healleahlua
Seems harmless
Kelly Cusick
Posted at 21:50h, 09 SeptemberThat message is not offensive or intimidating. Get real. He’s defending his job and the district he’s worked hard for for YEARS.
jmkraft
Posted at 22:09h, 09 SeptemberHis job doesn’t call for defending the school district from various facebook comments by punishing the commenters.
Apparently you cannot make the connection between intimidating people into not using their RIGHT to speech, by making a decision to not allow them to volunteer work to the school, and general disagreement. If he would have called and simply said, hey, I disagree with your comment, I would not have considered it offensive or very much intimidating. But what he did was to use his official position to punish someone for their comments.
This guy had no reason to even make the phone call except to punish, and he is not in the position to punish anyone for anything – but yet he did.
Marty Miller
Posted at 21:46h, 09 Septemberwow how silly I don’t have a dog in this fight but someone is alittle sensitive!
jmkraft
Posted at 22:11h, 09 SeptemberIf you don’t find this offensive, what will you say when someone knocks on your door for making a facebook comment?
This was completely our of line and cannot and will not be tolerated from a public employee.
What will it be the next time? He didn’t like the bumper sticker? Hair wrong color? You bought a copy of the wrong newspaper (yes, that happens in this town)?