What happened?
The teacher had been accused of misappropriating some computer equipment belonging to the town. The superintendent of schools requested a municipality’s board of education to consider terminating the teacher’s contract of employment. The teacher and the board of education entered into a settlement agreement.
The agreement provided that the teacher was not to receive any seniority or service credit for his employment for a specified school year due to a disciplinary suspension. The teacher attempted to make contributions to the Teachers’ Retirement System and claimed that he was on a “formal leave of absence” as provided by the agency’s rules. The administrator of the system refused to accept the contributions. The teacher claimed that he had wrongfully been deprived of retirement credits.
What did the court decide?
Based on the evidence in the record and the applicable law and regulations, the court could not conclude that the Board acted arbitrarily or abused its discretion in determining that the teacher’s disciplinary suspension did not constitute a “formal leave of absence” within the meaning of the Teachers’ Retirement Statutes. The teacher had been put on leave for misconduct. There was no other evidence to indicate that the board should have found this “leave” to not be formal. Rather, all events relating to his dismissal proved to the contrary.
Maya Murphy P.C. has proudly been included in the 2024 Edition of Best Law Firms®, ranked among the top firms in the nation. In addition, Managing Partner Joseph C. Maya has been selected to The Best Lawyers in America® 2024 for his work in Employment Law and Education Law in Connecticut. Recognition in Best Lawyers® is awarded to firms and attorneys who demonstrate excellence in the industry, and is widely regarded by both clients and legal professionals as a significant honor.
Our firm in Westport, Connecticut serves clients with legal assistance all over the state, including the towns of: Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Bethany, Bethel, Branford, Bridgeport, Brookfield, Cheshire, Danbury, Darien, Derby, East Haven, Easton, Fairfield, Greenwich, Guilford, Hamden, Madison, Meriden, Middlebury, Milford, Monroe, Naugatuck, New Canaan, New Fairfield, New Haven, Newton, North Branford, North Haven, Norwalk, Orange, Oxford, Prospect, Redding, Ridgefield, Seymour, Shelton, Sherman, Southbury, Stamford, Stratford, Trumbull, Wallingford, Waterbury, West Haven, Weston, Westport, Wilton, and Woodbridge. In addition to assisting clients in Connecticut, our firm handles education law and employment law matters in New York as well.
If you have any questions about employment law or education law in Connecticut, or would like to speak to an attorney about a legal matter, please contact Joseph C. Maya and the other experienced attorneys at Maya Murphy, P.C. at (203) 221-3100 or JMaya@Mayalaw.com to schedule a free initial consultation today.
