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A retired city schoolteacher who alleged she was forced to retire after blowing the whistle on testing improprieties at the elementary-middle school where she worked has been awarded $293,000 by a Baltimore Circuit Court jury.
The award for Joyce V. Dunston was reduced to $210,000 because of a legal limit on awards. The defendant, the city school board, is expected to appeal the decision, according to Howard J. Needle, an attorney representing Dunston. The school system had no comment about the verdict delivered Friday.
"Friday made me feel it is good to be an American. I got an opportunity for other citizens to hear what goes on in city schools. I felt as though I did justice to the school kids in the city," said Dunston, a teacher for 37 years.
Dunston, 62, alleged that during the 2006-2007 school year, teachers at Rognel Heights Elementary/Middle School were told by their instructional support staff to use improper and unethical testing procedures, including giving students test questions in advance.
Dunston refused to break the rules and reported the violations to the assistant principal, the area executive officer in the city schools and the Maryland State Department of Education, according to Needle. As a result, the suit alleged, city monitors were sent to the school during the Maryland School Assessments and found multiple violations.
However, MSDE spokesman William Reinhard said Monday that a letter was sent to the then-principal saying that no cheating or major violations had been found.
Reinhard said, "We did have some suggestions for tightening their procedures," including making sure that all of the staff is properly trained in test procedures and that a backup test coordinator is available if the assistant principal is out of the building.
Needle said that when the principal at the time found out that Dunston had reported the alleged testing problems, she walked into her classroom and told her in front of students that she was "in big trouble." She had the custodian escort her out of the building and told the teacher she should never return. Dunston subsequently retired.
Besides the Rognel Heights incident, Dunston said city schools had failed to protect her from student assaults when she was teaching at Eutaw Marshburn Elementary School in 2005.
While Dunston was teaching a class in May 2005, a student bumped her head into Dunston's head, Needle said. The teacher had a lump on her forehead and scratches and bruises, all of which was documented in a school police report, but the student was never suspended, the suit alleges.
As a result of the injuries and the trauma, Dunston said she was treated by her physician and a psychologist for months.
The award for Joyce V. Dunston was reduced to $210,000 because of a legal limit on awards. The defendant, the city school board, is expected to appeal the decision, according to Howard J. Needle, an attorney representing Dunston. The school system had no comment about the verdict delivered Friday.
"Friday made me feel it is good to be an American. I got an opportunity for other citizens to hear what goes on in city schools. I felt as though I did justice to the school kids in the city," said Dunston, a teacher for 37 years.
Dunston, 62, alleged that during the 2006-2007 school year, teachers at Rognel Heights Elementary/Middle School were told by their instructional support staff to use improper and unethical testing procedures, including giving students test questions in advance.
Dunston refused to break the rules and reported the violations to the assistant principal, the area executive officer in the city schools and the Maryland State Department of Education, according to Needle. As a result, the suit alleged, city monitors were sent to the school during the Maryland School Assessments and found multiple violations.
However, MSDE spokesman William Reinhard said Monday that a letter was sent to the then-principal saying that no cheating or major violations had been found.
Reinhard said, "We did have some suggestions for tightening their procedures," including making sure that all of the staff is properly trained in test procedures and that a backup test coordinator is available if the assistant principal is out of the building.
Needle said that when the principal at the time found out that Dunston had reported the alleged testing problems, she walked into her classroom and told her in front of students that she was "in big trouble." She had the custodian escort her out of the building and told the teacher she should never return. Dunston subsequently retired.
Besides the Rognel Heights incident, Dunston said city schools had failed to protect her from student assaults when she was teaching at Eutaw Marshburn Elementary School in 2005.
While Dunston was teaching a class in May 2005, a student bumped her head into Dunston's head, Needle said. The teacher had a lump on her forehead and scratches and bruises, all of which was documented in a school police report, but the student was never suspended, the suit alleges.
As a result of the injuries and the trauma, Dunston said she was treated by her physician and a psychologist for months.
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Based on some of my contacts, you will see more of these issues come to light in the near future.
BmoreBuster (11/01/2009, 5:50 PM )