Case filed by former teacher set for trial

A trial date has been scheduled in the case of a former special education teacher suing Kirtland School District for gender-based discrimination.

Molly Crawford, a Kirtland resident who worked at Kirtland Elementary School from Aug. 18, 2015, through June 2, 2016, sued the district Dec. 19 in Lake County Common Pleas Court.

Crawford claims she was replaced with a “less qualified male teacher” after her limited, one-year teaching contract was not renewed.

The case is set to go before a jury Dec. 11.

Judge John P. O’Donnell previously dismissed a second claim of violation of public policy, finding his court was not the proper venue for that allegation.

Crawford claimed school officials began retaliating against her after she complained that her supervisor failed to include 50 minutes of lunch/consultation time and 100 minutes of additional planning time when preparing her teaching schedule. Crawford alleged the consultation, lunch and planning time was agreed upon at the time of hiring.

District attorney Mark Fusco argued Crawford has no case because she failed to fully use the grievance procedure under her collective bargaining agreement to address the alleged injustice.

In addition, Fusco said she was not discharged and was not an at-will employee — both of which are necessary to state her claim of violation of public policy.

“Defendants argue that lunch and planning time are included in the Collective Bargaining Agreement that governed (Crawford’s) employment, and therefore Plaintiff’s exclusive remedy is to submit her claim pursuant to the CBA’s grievance procedure, which requires binding arbitration,” O’Donnell stated in his order.