Board of Ed. Terminates Tenured Teacher For Sexual Misconduct
by
Joseph C. Maya on Apr. 28, 2017
Employment Employment Wrongful Termination Other Education
Summary: Blog post about a tenured teacher who appealed his firing for sexual harassment of students.
If you have a question or concern about special education law, school administration, federal standards, or the overall rights of a student, please feel free to call the expert education law attorneys at Maya Murphy, P.C. in Westport today at (203) 221-3100 .
In the case of Bonang v. New Haven Board of Education, a tenured teacher appealed the board of education’s decision to terminate his employment. On February 8, 2008, the teacher was placed on paid leave, pending an investigation of claims of the teacher’s sexual harassment and inappropriate conversations with students. On June 6, 2008, the superintendent of schools wrote to the plaintiff to inform him that the Board was considering terminating the teacher’s employment contract. This board made fifty-eight findings substantiated by student and faculty testimony confirming allegations of the teacher’s sexual harassment and inappropriate conduct.
The teacher made several sexually related comments to female students, In addition, he also made sexual explicit comments about other teachers and faculty members to other students. A dyslexic student testified that the teacher forced him to sit in the front of a class with a book, and was not allowed to leave until he could read it. A student with an eating disorder testified that she could not eat in class because she would get fat.
The court affirmed the board of education’s decision. All findings were supported by record testimony, and were sufficient for the board to have reached a reasonable conclusion that the plaintiff could be terminated for due and sufficient cause. In addition, the plaintiff was given due notice to the board’s contemplation of terminating his employment, and was even notified of the factual basis for the investigation. The board’s decision to terminate the tenured teacher was based on his sexually inappropriate conduct towards student, and rose to levels of statutory misconduct. The board’s decision was not arbitrary, irrational, unreasonable, or irrelevant to the committee’s task of building up and maintaining an efficient school system
If you have a child with a disability and have questions about special education law, please contact Joseph C. Maya, Esq., at 203-221-3100, or at JMaya@mayalaw.com, to schedule a free consultation.
Source: Bonang v. New Haven Bd. Of Educ., 2011 Conn. Super. LEXIS 862 (Conn. Super. Ct. April 1, 2011)
