Updated: 1:03 am, Wed Feb 8, 2017.

UPDATE: A lawsuit filed against Floyd County Schools is asking that an appeals process to an impartial third party be adopted for system educators facing dismissal.

According to documents from Craig Goodmark, attorney for the plaintiffs in the case, current Floyd County educator Ronda Ware, the Floyd County Association of Educators and the Georgia Association of Educators have filed the suit against Floyd County Schools asking that the Fair Dismissal Act be reinstated.
Goodmark filed the lawsuit Friday.

“The educators in this case have worked very hard for many years to earn the protections of the Fair Dismissal Act,” Goodmark said. “This lawsuit was filed by Ms. Ware, a teacher currently working at FCSS, as well as FCAE and GAE, in hopes that the new board will change directions from the previous board and honor those rights that educators value.”
The school system issued a statement regarding the lawsuit Tuesday evening stating:

“Floyd County Schools believes it is already fully complying with the laws enacted by the General Assembly regarding teacher terminations. In 2015, the Georgia Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Floyd County Schools on a similar issue and found that Floyd County Schools had not violated or infringed upon the rights of teachers. Floyd County Schools will fully cooperate with this legal proceeding and believes this new lawsuit is misguided.”
Last year, the board unanimously adopted a dismissal policy that provides teachers and administrators a three-level appeal process when they are facing dismissal. They may appeal first to the human resources director, then to the superintendent and then to the school board.

The major difference between the FDA and the new policy is that there is no longer an automatic appeal to the state board of education under Floyd’s policy. Also, under the system’s policy, administrators have the same appeal rights as teachers — which was absent under the FDA.

However, the plaintiffs hope that the FDA would be reinstated and offer an impartial third party to review dismissals.

In October, board members approved an addition to the dismissal policy that allows teachers and administrators to have legal representation when appearing before the board.

As a charter system, Floyd County Schools is allowed to bypass the Fair Dismissal Act under regulations passed by the Georgia Legislature.

PREVIOUSLY REPORTED: According to a news release issued by Tim Hensley, assistant to the superintendent for Floyd County Schools, a lawsuit has been filed against the school system by the Georgia Association of Educators and a school system employee concerning the Fair Dismissal Act.

According to documents from Craig Goodmark, attorney for the plaintiffs in the case, current Floyd County educator Ronda Ware, the Floyd County Association of Educators and the Georgia Association of Educators have filed the suit against Floyd County Schools asking that the Fair Dismissal Act be reinstated.

Goodmark filed the lawsuit Friday.

“The educators in this case have worked very hard for many years to earn the protections of the Fair Dismissal Act,” Goodmark said. “This lawsuit was filed by Ms. Ware, a teacher currently working at FCSS, as well as FCAE and GAE, in hopes that the new board will change directions from the previous board and honor those rights that educators value.”

The school system issued a statement regarding the lawsuit Tuesday evening stating:

“Floyd County Schools believes it is already fully complying with the laws enacted by the General Assembly regarding teacher terminations. In 2015, the Georgia Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Floyd County Schools on a similar issue and found that Floyd County Schools had not violated or infringed upon the rights of teachers. Floyd County Schools will fully cooperate with this legal proceeding and believes this new lawsuit is misguided.”
Last year, the board unanimously adopted a dismissal policy that provides teachers and administrators a three-level appeal process when they are facing dismissal. They may appeal first to the human resources director, then to the superintendent and then to the school board.

The major difference between the FDA and the new policy is that there is no longer an automatic appeal to the state board of education under Floyd’s policy. Also, under the system’s policy, administrators have the same appeal rights as teachers — which was absent under the FDA.

However, the plaintiffs hope that the FDA would be reinstated and offer an impartial third party to review dismissals.

In October, board members approved an addition to the dismissal policy that allows teachers and administrators to have legal representation when appearing before the board.

As a charter system, Floyd County Schools is allowed to bypass the Fair Dismissal Act under regulations passed by the Georgia Legislature.

The lawsuit, according to the release, aims to “require the school system to follow certain teacher-termination procedures known as the … FDA.”

“Floyd County Schools believes it is already fully complying with the laws enacted by the General Assembly regarding teacher terminations. In 2015, the Georgia Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Floyd County Schools on a similar issue and found that Floyd County Schools had not violated or infringed upon the rights of teachers.  Floyd County Schools will fully cooperate with this legal proceeding and believes this new lawsuit is misguided,” the release states.

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