Title: Bouchard v. Department of Employment & Training

State: vermont

Issuer: Vermont Supreme Court

Document:

Bouchard v. Department of Employment & Training (2002-197); 174 Vt. 588; 
816 A.2d 508

[Filed 18-Nov-2002]

                                 ENTRY ORDER

                      SUPREME COURT DOCKET NO. 2002-197

                             OCTOBER TERM, 2002


  Raymond C. Bouchard	               }	APPEALED FROM:
                                       }
                                       }
       v.	                       }	Employment Security Board
                                       }	
  Department of Employment and         }
  Training			       }	DOCKET NO. 01-02-119-12


             In the above-entitled cause, the Clerk will enter:

       Claimant Raymond Bouchard appeals the decision of the Employment
  Security Board to deny him unemployment benefits, pursuant to 21 V.S.A. §
  1344(a)(2)(B), because he was discharged from his job for gross misconduct
  connected with his work.  We affirm the Board's decision.

       Claimant was employed as an automobile mechanics teacher at Bellows
  Free Academy for sixteen years until December 7, 2001 when he was dismissed
  by the school's Board of Trustees.  The following events gave rise to the
  dismissal.  On November 15, 2001, claimant's teenage son, a student at the
  school, was emotionally distraught over a personal incident.  Claimant told
  his son to stay home from school that day in order to calm down, but his
  son insisted upon attending school.  Claimant first spoke to his son's
  teachers and guidance counselor to inform them of his son's emotional
  condition.  That morning, while claimant was teaching a class, claimant's
  son burst into his classroom swearing and causing a disturbance.  Claimant
  removed his son from the classroom and arranged a meeting for his son with
  the guidance counselor.  Later that morning, when his son caused a
  disturbance in claimant's classroom for a second time, claimant arranged
  for his wife to pick up their son from school.  Claimant's wife obtained
  permission from a school official to return her son to school that
  afternoon.  After learning his son had returned to school, claimant
  proceeded to his son's final class of the day.  When claimant's son saw him
  waiting he became upset, and claimant escorted him by the arm to his
  office.  
   
       A verbal argument escalated to physical violence in claimant's office. 
  There are varying versions of the fight; however, all agree that claimant
  pushed his son and the boy fell into some office equipment, injuring his
  chin.  Claimant's son ran away from him as they were leaving the office and
  hid in the locker room.  A physical education teacher found the boy and,
  upon his mother's request, the teacher drove him to her place of
  employment.  When claimant could not find his son, he called the police
  department to report him missing.  That evening two police officers arrived
  at claimant's house and spoke with claimant, his wife, his son and his
  daughter.  The officers 

 

  then arrested claimant on the charge of domestic assault.  The next day,
  the school suspended his employment with pay and then terminated it on
  December 7, 2001.  

       After his termination, claimant filed for unemployment benefits, and a
  claims adjudicator denied his claim.  An appeals referee held a hearing in
  February of 2002 and sustained the decision to deny benefits.  On appeal,
  the Employment Security Board affirmed the decision of the appeals referee
  after a hearing from which claimant was absent.  This appeal followed.
          
       In reviewing the Employment Security Board's action, this Court must,
  if possible, construe the Board's findings so as to support the judgment. 
  Carson v. Dep't of Employment Sec., 135 Vt. 312, 314,