Federal suit alleges BOE had bus driver fired for political endorsement

TORRINGTON — A city woman alleged in a federal lawsuit this week that she was fired from her job as a bus driver for All-Star Transportation for endorsing state Rep. Michelle Cook on Facebook and claimed that the Board of Education and member Molly Spino were responsible for her dismissal.

In the complaint, Ashleigh Thibault said she posted an endorsement of Cook on her campaign’s Facebook page on June 25, 2018. At the time, Spino was competing with Cook to represent the 65th District in the state House. Cook was later re-elected.

Thibault said she also complained about a matter pertaining Spino’s family in the post.

Spino complained to All-Star Transportation about the post the next day, according to the complaint.

The Board of Education, which had the right to require All-Star to terminate any employee for “due and sufficient cause” under its contract, sent a letter on June 27 to All-Star asking that Thibault be “terminated from all Torrington assignments,” according to the complaint.

“The letter explicitly states that this action was taken because the Plaintiff posted on Candidate Cook’s Facebook page,” attorney Thomas W. Meiklejohn, who is representing Thibault, said in the complaint. “All-Star terminated the Plaintiff from her employment as a consequence of Defendant Board’s actions.”

Spino, the school board and former interim Business Manager Rose

Forzano, who allegedly authored the letter from the board, are named as defendants in the case.

They are not yet represented by an attorney in

the matter, according to federal judicial records.

Thibault alleges that the board violated her First and Fourteenth Amendment rights.

She is asking that the board be ordered to request that All-Star reinstate her employment and

compensate her for lost wages, as well as damages, attorney fees and other relief deemed just and proper.

Spino, Forzano and Board of Education Chairman Fiona Cappabianca did not immediately respond to requests for

comment Friday.

Superintendent of Schools Susan Lubomski said the district could not comment because the lawsuit pertains to a personnel matter.