School district accused of retaliation in lawsuit

LR teacher backed student complaints

A faculty member last school year at Little Rock School District’s Henderson Middle School is suing district and school leaders, contending his complaint of student abuse by staff colleagues has led to a retaliatory recommendation that he be fired.

Ryan Chase Gore, who was a certified teacher and behavioral interventionist at the middle school, filed the suit in Pulaski County Circuit Court against Little Rock Superintendent Baker Kurrus, Arkansas Education Commissioner Johnny Key — who acts as the School Board for the state-controlled district — Henderson Principal Frank Williams and Dean of Students James Hemphill.

Kurrus said Wednesday that he had not read the lawsuit and would have no comment about it.

Gore argued in the suit the defendants violated the Arkansas Whistle-Blower Act by seeking to terminate his employment after he reported on May 15 to Williams the complaints he had received from four students about verbal and physical abuse committed by certain staff members toward students.

In the lawsuit, Gore said one employee told students to hit, choke and fight with other students while other students and staff members guarded the classroom doors. The one employee also was accused by students and by Gore of pushing and punching students as well as belittling, antagonizing and threatening them. Gore named the employees in the lawsuit but did not include them as defendants in the case.

After initially emailing the concern to Williams, Gore said he then met with Williams on campus in what became a hostile encounter.

Gore said he was reassigned to the school district’s Hamilton Learning Academy, an alternative learning program, for this school year but has been notified that he is recommended for firing by Kurrus. An appeal of that termination recommendation is set for a hearing before Key or his designees later this month.

The lawsuit has been assigned to Judge Mackie Pierce. Gore’s attorneys in the case are Amy Lafont and John Walker, both of the John Walker Law Firm.