A teacher in California has just won a substantial amount of money in a case revolving around being fired from his job. Reports show that he was awarded a total of $3.35 million at the conclusion of the case.
The initial problems for the teacher started when he was at John H. Francis Polytechnic High School, which is located in Sun Valley. He and the principle had a disagreement, and the teacher was then fired. His teaching certification was also taken away.
At the same time, the principle kept climbing up through the ranks, becoming the chief academic officer for the school system in which he worked. There is only one school system in the country that is larger than the one for which he worked, which is the Los Angeles Unified School District.
However, according to the jury that heard the case, the man who was fired had actually discovered some issues with the school’s Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program. He had attempted to bring those issues to light, acting as a whistleblower, which is why he was wrongfully fired.
The school, though, still has the right to an appeal, which appears likely. Officials have said that they do not feel that anything was done improperly and that the school should not be deemed guilty of a wrongful termination.
In any industry, it is important for employees to know that they have rights if they decide to report illegal activity, giving them protection from retaliation. You need to know what these rights are and how they can help you if you find yourself in a similar situation.
Source: Los Angeles Times, “Ex-L.A. Unified teacher wins $3.35 million after firing from JROTC job” Howard Blume, Dec. 26, 2014