The Baltimore Sun reports that an English teacher, Michelle Maupin, was awarded more than $235,000 last week in compensatory and punitive damages for harassment and retaliation during her time at Centennial High School. Read the full article here.
Maupin’s allegations stem from a turbulent period at Centennial when the school was rocked by grade-tampering investigations of two top administrators and allegations that the school was not welcoming to minorities. Maupin worked with the African-American Awareness club at the school.
“She had parents coming in saying, ‘I don’t think my child can succeed in your class’ after only one day of school,” Coyle said. “These complaints weren’t appropriate, and the administration should have stepped up and intervened on her behalf.”
Maupin’s attorney, Mike Coyle, said he was “extremely pleased” with the jury’s decision, given that his client had not been fired. “This is one of the larger awards I’ve seen for purely emotional stress,” Coyle said. The trial took seven days.
