Ex-Teacher's Claims Against Board of Education Undermined By Contract
by
Joseph C. Maya on Apr. 26, 2017
Other Education Employment Employment Contracts Business Contract
Summary: Blog post on the topic of teacher employment contracts in Connecticut.
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 Wallace v. Stratford, an ex-teacher sued the Town of Stratford, board of education and state education association, on alleged violation of various rights arising out of her termination. The plaintiff was employed for twenty-four years as a teacher by the Board and was tenured. She was forty-five years old at the time she received notice of her suspension. On January 28, 1981 the Board advised her that pursuant to Connecticut law that the superintendent intended to recommend at a Board special meeting on January 30, 1981 the termination of her contract of employment.
The court dismissed the teacher’s action. The evidence showed that in spite of the school regulations, the teacher spent most of the class time lecturing rather than conducting the classes so that the pupils participated; her classroom was in disarray; the pupils were constantly talking to one another, and bad language about the teacher was heard by the supervisor present in class. She constantly talked down to the children and did not adequately cover the reading. There were gaps in the curriculum and it became obvious she would not complete the assigned yearly curriculum, and discipline was absent in her classroom. Discussions with the teacher did not result in changes or improvements. The court held that the teacher was properly suspended for misconduct. After such suspension, the teacher worked out a contract of settlement, which changed the teacher's contract from one that renewed itself from year to year until her retirement to a one year contract in a professional capacity in return for her resignation at the end of that year. Such contract constituted an accord and satisfaction. Accordingly, her action alleging numerous violations including breach of contract and discrimination was dismissed.
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: Wallace v. Stratford, 1991 Conn. Super. LEXIS 2264, 1991 WL 208957 (Conn. Super. Ct. Oct. 2, 1991)
