Oak Park schools hit with whistleblower lawsuit

Oak Park Colleges’ former government director of enterprise and finance has filed a whistleblower lawsuit in opposition to the district, making some beautiful claims.

On January 30, Sharrece Farris-Foster filed go well with in Oakland County Circuit Courtroom alleging retaliation for reporting monetary misconduct.

The grievance, filed by The Sharp Agency, alleges that Farris-Foster was terminated after he refused to overstate funds projections and report improper actions, together with improper will increase in bank card limits, misuse of STEM grant funds and illegal wage reductions throughout sick depart.

The lawsuit names Superintendent Angel Abdulahad, the Oak Park faculty board and the district as defendants.

Among the many allegations within the lawsuit:

In July 2025, Abdulahad instructed Farris-Foster to extend the restrict on his district-issued bank card by $25,000.
Shortly after growing the restrict on his bank card, Abdulahad bought $10,000 value of digital gear with cash supposed for the creation of a STEM laboratory. The purchases have been made at Greatest Purchase and employees reported he stored them for private use after asking that they not be labeled as district property.
Abdulahad requested Farris-Foster to authorize a $40,000 payout for future accrued depart and to unfold the checks for his monetary profit over a number of funds and conceal a lump sum cost.
In August 2025, whereas on paid sick depart, Abdulahad suspended her pay, denied her entry to sick days, and decreased her base wage by $15,000.
The superintendent repeatedly submitted refund requests that weren’t allowed by district coverage and didn’t present receipts.
That he “and several other members of the (faculty) board” exceeded day by day convention charges and spending limits and sought reimbursement from the district. The convention was not specified.
In November 2025, Abdulahad accused Farris-Foster of a mistake that price the district $4 million in state assist funds, and he deliberate to fireside her for it. The aid funds have been acquired on time and the Michigan Training Affiliation instructed her it was not an error, however a communication downside with their accounting agency.
In Might 2025, Abdulahad instructed her to magnify to the college board that the district had greater than $1 million in out there funds.

The province doesn’t wish to reply to the lawsuit.

Farris-Foster, who was employed in Oak Park in Might 2023, claimed she reported all monetary points to the board of schooling and the Michigan Division of Training.

Abdulahad was chosen as superintendent in Might 2022 following the retirement of Jamii Hitchcock.

Abdulahad was positioned on paid, non-disciplinary depart throughout a particular assembly on November 18, 2025, and Assistant Superintendent of Educating and Studying Shana Murphy was named performing superintendent. Farris-Foster was fired throughout a board assembly on December 9.

Abdulahad stays on administrative depart and the district has taken no motion on the matter practically three months later.

The rationale why he was positioned on depart was not defined by the district, regardless of repeated requests from The Oakland Press for extra data.

“The board has positioned the superintendent on paid, non-disciplinary administrative depart pending the end result of an ongoing investigation,” the district mentioned. “This motion is customary administrative process and doesn’t suggest any discovering of misconduct.”

In response to Kevin Keys, a former trainer within the district and a graduate of Oak Park Excessive Faculty, Abdulahad was positioned on depart as a consequence of “monetary mismanagement and discrimination.”

The board acquired the ultimate report on the investigation from Allen Telgenhof PLCC at a particular assembly on January 27 and held their first assembly since receiving the report on February 9. The district has not disclosed the price of the investigation or whether or not the ultimate report can be made public.

The board took no motion at Monday’s assembly and solely acknowledged the difficulty with a press release.

“The board is required by legislation to guard the integrity of personnel issues and to respect due course of obligations,” board chair Paige Mattison mentioned in a press release. “For that reason, the board can’t share the main points and different rights publicly. We admire the group’s endurance and involvement.”

Abdulahad’s contract with the district expires in June and his 2025 wage and advantages whole $391,273.

The problem of bank card use got here up at a college board assembly earlier than the superintendent was positioned on depart.

Throughout an Oct. 27 board assembly, Abdulahad was questioned concerning the monetary statements to be accepted by the board.

When curator Aisha Tyler sought a extra detailed assessment of those statements, Abdulahad turned defensive.

“Do not beat across the bush, come out and say it. Come out right here in entrance of the general public and say what you need, take motion and we’ll produce it,” he instructed her. “However to say in any other case that we’re not providing you with, it is an insult to me.”

Trustee Daybreak Corporan later specified that she wished an itemized listing of all bank card use by directors within the district.

The district declined to say what their future plans are for the superintendent place, whether or not they’ll launch the report back to the general public or whether or not any board motion can be taken.

Keys is anxious about a number of points throughout the district, together with the dearth of transparency concerning the allegations surrounding Abdulahad.

He knowledgeable the board on Monday what he’ll do about it.

“Everybody who voted for, enabled, or quietly acquiesced to the choices that harmed college students, undermined security, and ignored transparency bears accountability,” he mentioned. “If the board doesn’t take motion and no resignations happen by the top of the week, we’ll start the formal strategy of recalling, one after the other, each member of this board who participated in or enabled this corruption.”

The lawsuit seeks compensatory damages, front and back pay, and different damages for alleged violations of Michigan Public Coverage and the Whistleblower Safety Act.