School official says she was fired for reporting racism. Jury awards her $260,000
A former school district administrator said she was fired shortly after issuing a report that accused a Tennessee middle school of discriminating against Black students and creating a hostile work environment for its teachers.
Now a federal jury has awarded her $260,000.
The jury determined on Monday, Dec. 6, that Metro Nashville Public Schools violated federal anti-discrimination laws when it terminated Euna McGruder in 2016. According to court filings, McGruder — who is Black — was the executive officer of priority schools whose job included helping improve academic performance at the district’s lowest-performing schools.
Brian Winfrey, who represented McGruder at trial, said she was fired for “reporting and investigating rampant race discrimination against the teachers and children of Madison Middle School.”
“The school system and Metro government refused to accept responsibility for its actions against her for nearly six years,” Winfrey told McClatchy News. “Dr. McGruder has patiently waited to be heard. She knew the truth was on her side, and the jury held MNPS accountable. We are thankful and happy to see justice served today.”
Sean Braisted, spokesperson for Metro Nashville Public Schools, said in a statement to McClatchy News that the case involved “a unique set of circumstances.” He said the employees involved don’t work for the district anymore and that it occurred under the tenure of a former director of schools. The current director is Dr. Adrienne Battle, who took over in March 2020.
“We do not believe that the issues in this trial involve systemic problems within the district, and Dr. Battle and the leadership at MNPS are committed to a supportive, inclusive environment for students, staff, and families,” Braisted said.
‘Permeated with discrimination’
McGruder filed her lawsuit in the Middle District of Tennessee in 2017 after lodging a charge of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The EEOC is the federal agency tasked with safeguarding and enforcing anti-discrimination laws in the workplace.
According to the complaint, she was hired in July 2015 with the understanding that she had three years to help raise the bottom 5% of schools to a higher academic performance, recruit “high-level” leaders and improve teacher recruitment.
Madison Middle School was reportedly among those with the lowest academic performances. During the 2019-2020 academic year, the school had about 565 students in grades 5-8 — more than half of whom are Black, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
Shortly after McGruder was hired, Madison Middle received a complaint that Black students were disproportionately punished compared with their white peers. McGruder was reportedly tasked with investigating the allegations.
According to the complaint, McGruder conducted several interviews, collected statements and tried to meet with school leaders before issuing her findings, which she made known in January 2016.
“Dr. McGruder’s investigation revealed that Madison Middle School was poorly run, permeated with discrimination, and was a workplace where teachers believed it was a hostile work environment [on the basis of, inter alia, race and racist leadership],” her lawyer said in the lawsuit.
District officials told McGruder shortly thereafter that they were moving in a “different direction” and fired her, the complaint states.
McGruder’s lawsuit accused Metro Nashville Public Schools of discriminating and retaliating against her based on race in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Case goes to trial
The school district asked a judge to rule in its favor in 2018, saying in part that McGruder was fired for engaging in “rude and unprofessional behavior” and not because of her race. U.S. District Judge Eli Richardson granted the district’s request and dismissed the case in December 2019, which McGruder challenged.
Richardson then recused himself seven months later, leaving a different judge to decide the fate of her case.
In August 2020, U.S. District Judge Aleta A. Trauger reversed in part Richardon’s previous decision.
To claim discrimination or retaliation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the wronged party has to show they engaged in what’s known as a protected employment activity before their employer took an adverse action against them.
According to Trauger’s opinion, McGruder’s case largely centered on allegations that leadership at Madison Middle School discriminated against its Black students — but the school’s treatment of its students doesn’t qualify as an “employment practice” under the law, the judge said.
McGruder, however, also reported to district officials that teachers at Madison Middle faced a racially hostile work environment, which the judge said created a factual dispute that could move the case forward as to whether the school district retaliated against her in violation of Title VII.
The revived lawsuit went to trial Nov. 30, court filings show. After five days, the jury ruled in McGruder’s favor and awarded her $260,000 in compensatory damages.
Winfrey, McGruder’s lawyer, said her replacement in the school district was never told about McGruder’s investigation and findings of alleged discrimination at Madison Middle.
“We hope that this verdict sends it a message to do better in the future,” he told McClatchy News. “The kids and teachers rights in the workplace and educational environment depend on it.”
This story was originally published December 8, 2021 at 5:14 PM with the headline "School official says she was fired for reporting racism. Jury awards her $260,000."
