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Friday, July 11, 2008

Ind. Courts - Federal court decides in favor of Nettle Creek in teacher's discrimination case

The Richmond Palladium-Item's Natalie Root reports today on federal judge Richard L. Young's 51-page ruling July 3rd in the case of Lucero v. Nettle Creek School Corp. Thanks to the Pal-Item, you may access the opinion here. From the lengthy story:

A federal district court judge ruled in favor of the Nettle Creek Schools last week in a case brought against the school corporation by an English teacher at Hagerstown Junior-Senior High School.

Sharon Lucero filed the lawsuit after she was moved from teaching honors and regular senior English to seventh-grade English for the 2004-05 school year. The lawsuit brought 11 different claims alleging the violation of her civil rights, including allegations of sexual harassment; a hostile work environment; breach of contract; administrative retaliation; violation of the school board's Just Cause and Appeal Policy; and discrimination on the basis of sex, race, color and national origin. The allegations related to events taking place during the year she taught senior English and for about a year following that time.

In his ruling, Judge Richard L. Young said he found that Principal Mark Childs' reassignment of Lucero to seventh-grade English, which she had taught the first year she was hired, was not an "adverse employment action," and she wasn't being retaliated against by being moved to an inferior position.

"Mr. Childs' decision to reassign her to seventh-grade English was grounded in reason and logic, and was a legitimate exercise of his discretionary authority as principal of the junior-senior high school," said Young in his ruling.

A press release from the Nettle Creek Schools said the reassignment was made because Lucero had been a successful seventh-grade teacher and because it was "a better match between teacher and student."

Posted by Marcia Oddi on July 11, 2008 08:45 AM
Posted to Ind Fed D.Ct. Decisions