Thursday, August 06, 2009

One Last Appeal?

In the midst of the Petrilli trial the Fayette County Schools received news that the Kentucky Court of Appeals would not grant the board of education a rehearing on the $3.7 million judgment granted Carol Lynne Manor.

The last chance for the board to overturn the judgment would come in a motion for discretionary review by the Kentucky Supreme Court.

If that request is made - and denied - it will be time for the district to issue a public statement about the 30-year old case and to assure the public that procedures and safeguards now exist to prevent any reoccurance of these despicable acts.

This from H-L:

Fayette school board's request for rehearing denied
in Maner civil suit

The Kentucky Court of Appeals on Monday denied the Fayette County school board's request for a rehearing in the $3.7 million judgment in favor of Carol Lynne Maner.

In 2007, a Fayette Circuit Court jury found that in the late 1970s and early 1980s, school officials ignored allegations that Maner was sexually abused by four teachers, a guidance counselor and an assistant principal at Beaumont Junior High School and Lafayette High School. The jury's verdict in the high-profile trial is one of the largest awarded in Fayette County.

The school district appealed the verdict, but the Kentucky Court of Appeals upheld the decision May 22. The school board then asked the appellate court last month to reconsider that decision.

The appeal process can be "frustrating, and sometimes it's nerve-racking, but we're still winning," said Charles Arnold, one of Maner's attorneys.

The school board must file a motion of discretionary review with the Kentucky Supreme Court if it wants to appeal the case further, Arnold said...

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

And you would think the training would start soon, but FCPS has never issued guidelines on appropriate and inappropriate interections between staff and students.

I think that half the problems could be avoided, and the resulting litigation, if the Board of Education would tell teachers not to give out cell phone and home phone numbers to parents and students. Teachers should never have students in their cars, and teachers should never be alone with a student in the classroom. Training is needed in this area.