PALMETTO Fla. – Former leaders and staff members of Lincoln Memorial Academy in Palmetto filed a lawsuit in federal court against both the School District of Manatee County and the City of Palmetto, claiming racial discrimination.

The group of former employees, that include ex-principal Eddie Hundley, are represented by Roderick Ford, an attorney through the Methodist Law Centre in Tampa.

Lincoln Memorial Academy’s charter was revoked in July, after the school board cited issues with Lincoln’s leadership and finances. In September, an administrative law judge upheld the Manatee School District’s decision to revoke Lincoln’s charter and take control of the school.

Now, the group of former employees claim that the Manatee County School District and the city of Palmetto worked together to create a falsified water shut-off notice in an effort to make Lincoln’s finances more dire.

“We believe that once those facts come out, Lincoln Memorial Academy will be exonerated,” Ford stated.

Lincoln supporters believe both the city of Palmetto and the Manatee County School District created the water shut-off notice to sabotage the school. The notice was later used as evidence during the hearing in August.

In his final order, the administrative law judge who heard the case stated that the shut-off notice was “perhaps the most inexplicable failure to pay issue.”

According to our partners at the Bradenton Herald, the city claims the shut-off notice was a legitimate reminder about Lincoln’s overdue water bill. The city attorney said it contained a typo, making it appear that Lincoln was 45 days past due, when instead they were 45 days past the original billing date.

“Race played a role in their willingness to do such egregious things,” Hundley said.

According to Ford, the goal of the lawsuit is to allow the former leaders to regain control of Lincoln.

“We want to go back to the starting line with the way it was before the takeover,” Ford said. Of course, that means all the teachers would return with the same salary and Mr. Hundley would remain at the helm,” Ford said.

We reached out to the Manatee County School District and the city of Palmetto for comment. Both agencies were closed Monday for President's Day. This article will be updated when we learn more.