Case Name: Jack RIVERS, Appellant v. BOARD OF TRUSTEES, FORREST COUNTY AGRICULTURAL HIGH SCHOOL, Appellee
Court: Mississippi Court of Appeals
Jurisdiction: Mississippi
Decision Date: 2004-06-29
Citations: 876 So. 2d 1043
Docket Number: No. 2003-CC-00943-COA
Parties: Jack RIVERS, Appellant v. BOARD OF TRUSTEES, FORREST COUNTY AGRICULTURAL HIGH SCHOOL, Appellee.
Judges: THOMAS, LEE, AND MYERS, JJ., CONCUR. IRVING, J., CONCURS IN RESULT ONLY WITH SEPARATE WRITTEN OPINION. GRIFFIS, J., DISSENTS WITH SEPARATE WRITTEN OPINION JOINED BY KING, C.J., SOUTHWICK, P.J., AND CHANDLER, J.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 876
Pages: 1043–1055

Head Matter:
Jack RIVERS, Appellant v. BOARD OF TRUSTEES, FORREST COUNTY AGRICULTURAL HIGH SCHOOL, Appellee.
No. 2003-CC-00943-COA.
Court of Appeals of Mississippi.
June 29, 2004.
Jerry A. Evans, Hattiesburg, attorney for appellant.
Moran M. Pope, Hattiesburg, attorney for appellee.

Opinion:
BRIDGES, P.J.,
for the Court.
¶ 1. This is an appeal by Jack Rivers from the decision of the chancery court affirming the decision of the Board of Trustees of the Forrest County Agricultural High School (Board, FCAHS) terminating the employment of Rivers, a teacher at the school. This action began when Kyle Noble, superintendent of the school, dismissed Jack Rivers by written notification. As statutorily provided, Rivers requested a hearing, and such hearing was started before a hearing officer procured by the Board. The hearing was held on June 10, August 7, and concluded on August 30, 2002. The hearing officer filed his report on October 8, 2002, which was duly considered by the Board of Trustees. On October 11, 2002, the Board unanimously voted to accept and uphold the recommendations of the hearing officer. Rivers appealed to the Chancery Court of Forrest County and on March 18, 2002, the chancellor affirmed the decision and order of the Board.
STATEMENT OF THE ISSUES
I. WHETHER THE PROCEDURES FOLLOWED BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES, FORREST COUNTY AGRICULTURAL HIGH SCHOOL, IN MAKING ITS DECISION TO TERMINATE THE EMPLOYMENT OF JACK RIVERS, UNDER STIGMATIZING CIRCUMSTANCES, WAS IN VIOLATION OF HIS CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS.
II. WHETHER THE DECISION, TO TERMINATE THE EMPLOYMENT OF JACK RIVERS, WAS ARBITRARY OR CAPRICIOUS AND NOT FOUNDED UPON SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE.
FACTS
¶ 2. On March 20, 2002, M.C., a fifteen year old ninth grader at Forrest County Agricultural High School and two other female students went to see Charles Lewis, the principal of FCAHS. M.C. told Lewis that Jack Rivers, a teacher at FCAHS, had "touched her in the wrong way" earlier that day while she was in his class. After further inquiry, M.C. added that Rivers "put his hand on her leg, and then he started to move his hand up her leg, and then that is when she jumped up and went to get a journal." Lewis immediately sent M.C. to Reesa Parker (also referred to in the briefs as Resa), the school counselor, to talk about the incident further. Lewis then had Rivers brought to his ofñce and proceeded to tell Rivers what had been alleged against him. Rivers immediately denied the allegations and explained that he sat beside M.C. and that he sat straddling a chair with the back of the chair to his chest. He additionally explained that he did not put his hand on M.C.'s leg but that when he got up from the chair he could have possibly touched her. Lewis then told Rivers to write down his version of what happened. After Parker's meeting with M.C., Parker went to Lewis and explained that the touching of Rivers which M.C. described "was not a brush type-brush by type of thing." She added further that the "touching" would have been a deliberate .placement and movement from what M.C. demonstrated while in Parker's office. Additionally, M.C.'s subsequent written statement and her testimony at the hearing are consistent with what she told Lewis and Parker.
¶ 3. The following day Lewis started conducting an investigation into what happened. He started first with the students that sat near M.C. in River's classroom. After interviewing numerous students, male and female, three other female students, L.W., L.E., and E.C., told Lewis and Parker about similar incidents involving Rivers that they felt were inappropriate and each student gave a signed, written statement regarding the same.
¶ 4. On March 28, 2002, Kyle Nobles, Superintendent of FCAHS, met with Rivers and his wife and inquired about his side of the story. Rivers denied touching M.C. except to say that he might have brushed up against M.C.'s leg when he got up to leave. He did volunteer that M.C. had on a low-cut blouse on the day in question.
¶ 5. After talking with the students, Lewis and Rivers, Nobles decided to terminate Rivers's employment if he did not resign voluntarily. On April 2, 2003, when Rivers did not resign voluntarily, Nobles notified him that he was being dismissed from employment, subject to his right to a hearing.
¶ 6. At the same time Rivers requested a formal hearing, he also requested discovery of information and documents, some of which included:
(1) A detailed listing of all allegations made against Rivers that underlined the Board's decision to terminate, including the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of the persons who made the allegations,
(2) A complete copy of any minutes of meetings held by the Board regarding the termination of Rivers,
(3) A complete copy of the personnel file of Rivers,
(4) A complete copy of the student file of the person or persons who made the allegations against Rivers,
(5) A complete copy of the investigation of the allegations made against Rivers, including any and all statements (oral or written), reports, investigative notes, affidavits, or otherwise,
(6) The name, address, and telephone number of any person interviewed during the investigation of the allegations made against Rivers, and
(7) The name, address, and telephone number of any person or persons the School Board intends to subpoena or call as witnesses at the hearing.
¶ 7. Also requested, but separately, was Rivers's classroom files of individual students contained in a locked file cabinet, which contained test results and other re lated matters pertaining to individual students and a copy of his grade book.
¶ 8. FCAHS, through its attorney, refused to provide any of the requested discovery, but did provide 'the names of the adult witnesses and a brief summary of the proposed testimony of the four unidentified, minor, female students. In response to this denial, Rivers requested that the hearing officer direct the Board to provide the requested discovery. To this, the hearing officer denied Rivers's request stating that he had no authority to order such discovery.
¶ 9. A hearing on this case was conducted on June 10, 2002, over the objections of Rivers, who moved to exclude the testimony of the four minors and further objected that bifurcation of the hearing would not satisfy the problem. At the hearing, the Board called seven witnesses including: Charles Lewis, principal; Reesa Parker, counselor; M.C., minor female student; L.W., minor female student; L.E., minor female student; E.C., minor female student; and Kyle Nobles, superintendent.
¶ 10. On August 7, 2002, the hearing reconvened at which time Rivers called six witnesses including himself. At the conclusion of the hearing, the hearing officer affirmed the decision made by the Board.
STANDARD OF REVIEW
¶ 11. The standard of review of administrative agency decisions is "[a]n agency's conclusions must remain undisturbed unless the agency's order (1) is not supported by substantial evidence, (2) is arbitrary or capricious, (3) is beyond the scope or power granted to the agency, or (4). violates one's constitutional rights." Maxwell v. Miss. Employment Sec. Comm'n, 792 So.2d 1031, 1032(¶ 7) (Miss.Ct.App.2001).
¶ 12. A rebuttable presumption exists in favor of the administrative agency, and the challenging party has the burden of proving otherwise. Lastly, this Court must not reweigh the facts of the case or insert its judgment for that of the agency. Lewis v. Miss. Employment Sec. Comm'n, 767 So.2d 1029, 1030-1(¶ 9) (Miss.Ct.App.2000). Factual findings of the Commission's Board of Review, if supported by substantial evidence, will be upheld on appeal. Miss.Code Ann. § 71-5-531 (Rev.2000).
ANALYSIS
I. WHETHER THE PROCEDURES FOLLOWED BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES, FORREST COUNTY AGRICULTURAL HIGH SCHOOL, IN MAKING ITS DECISION TO TERMINATE THE EMPLOYMENT OF JACK RIVERS, UNDER STIGMATIZING CIRCUMSTANCES, WAS IN VIOLATION OF HIS CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS.
¶ 13. The trial court referred to Mississippi Code Annotated section 37-9-109 which governs non-renewals and also lays down initiating requirements for actions of non-renewal. It provides in pertinent part:
An employee who has received notice under Section 37^-9-105, upon written request from the employee received by the district within ten days of receipt of the notice by employee, shall be entitled to:
(a) Written notice of the specific reasons for non-employment, together with a summary of the factual basis therefor, a list of witnesses and a copy of documentary evidence substantiating the reasons intended to be presented at the hearing....
However, it is clear that the case sub judice is not a non-renewal action but is in fact a dismissal action, which is governed by Mississippi Code Annotated section 37-9-59. There is a clear and distinct difference, that is readily apparent, between section 37-9-109 and section 37-9-59 when examining the initial procedure required as to each. In dismissal actions, section 37-9-59, the clear and concise requirement as to initiating the action is that:
"Before being so dismissed or suspended any licensed employee shall be notified of the charges against him and he shall be advised that he is entitled to a public hearing upon said charges." (emphasis added).
If the employee avails himself of the option of a hearing, section 37-9-59 provides that such hearing shall be as prescribed in section 37-9-111 of the Mississippi Code. However, actions involving non-renewal, under section 37-9-109, do not specifically reference section 37-9-59.
¶ 14. The learned chancellor in this case aptly stated the meaning of the law when he opined in his ruling the following:
The Legislature of this State framed and enacted both the cited and quoted statutes, and the differing language of the two as to mandates is readily apparent. The plain language utilized in the two statutes, each dealing with a different action, is clear and unambiguous. Simply because the requirements in the non-renewal action are undeniably more stringent than in the dismissal action, it does not logically follow that the Legislature intended that the more stringent requirements of non-renewal be also applicable to the dismissal action. It is obvious that had the Legislature intended, or desired, the more stringent requirements of the non-renewal action to be also applicable to the dismissal action then the language to accomplish such intent or desire was available for use.
¶ 15. Since this Court cannot legislate or change those statutes already applicable to the subject matter in question, we can only decide cases on the law as written. Therefore, to resolve the confusion faced in this case, it is suggested that the state legislature make appropriate and necessary provision or amendment to the present statute, or by additional statute for disposition of "dismissal actions," so as to clarify this ambiguity.
¶ 16. The dissent, while telling of the majority's simplicity, confuses the reader by going through two more sections to achieve their desired result. However, the dissent fails to inform the reader that the end result involves the section for non-renewals. If it was not mentioned before, please let us mention it now — this case is not a non-renewal case but is in fact a dismissal. While we agree that for non-renewal cases the accused should get certain discovery and that section does provide for it, while the section on dismissals does not provide such for a hearing. If, as previously stated, the legislature wanted those evidentiary measures, they would have provided such in section 39-9-59, or at the very least referred the reader to the non-renewal section specifically.
¶ 17. In summary, the dissent cites certain sections under Title 37 which apply to non-renewal rather than dismissal which applies to the case sub judice. Such recitals of those sections circumvents the appropriate section which applies to dismissals, being section 39-9-59. The two procedures are totally different in nature and do not require the same procedures to be followed in order to achieve the appropriate result.
¶ 18. After careful consideration of the record in this case, and in light of the statutory requirements of Mississippi Code Annotated section 37-9-59 (dismissal actions), as well as the statutory requirements of Mississippi Code Annotated section 37-9-109 (non-renewal actions), together with case law cited by both parties, this Court is of the opinion that Rivers's assertion that his statutory and constitutional rights were violated is without merit.
II. WHETHER THE DECISION TO TERMINATE THE EMPLOYMENT OF JACK RIVERS WAS ARBITRARY OR CAPRICIOUS AND NOT FOUNDED UPON SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE.
¶ 19. In the case sub judice, the two principal actors have statements and testimony that are contradictory. M.C.'s testimony accuses Rivers of acting in a deliberate manner by placing his hand on her leg and proceeding to move his hand upward. She also stated that not only did she feel surprised and upset by Rivers's actions, but also uncomfortable as well. To escape the situation, M.C. quickly got up to retrieve a notebook and waited until Rivers left her module. M.C.'s story never changed in its description, and she continued to be forthright in the telling of her version of what occurred.
¶ 20. On the other side, Rivers, the accused, adamantly denied the allegations made against him and admitted that any touching that may have been made by him was unintentional and may have occurred in the normal course of his work, i.e., in assisting students at their respective work stations in the technology course he teaches.
¶ 21. Although there were no other witnesses to the incident in question, there was testimony in the record by other students, L.W., L.E., and E.C., that was corroborative of the testimony of M.C., specifically that Rivers has been observed by other witnesses in a physical posture near other female students where the appearance to the witness was that Rivers was looking, or attempting to look, down in the blouse or shirt of females and toward their breasts. There was also testimony of Rivers's touching or rubbing a female student on her neck and down onto the area of the collarbone.
¶ 22. It is clear that the decision of the Board of Trustees was supported by the evidence and that the Board met its burden of proving by substantial evidence, to satisfy the standard of review as set forth herein, that Rivers's actions constituted misconduct.
¶ 23. This Court, having reviewed the record, finds that the decision of the Board was supported by substantial evidence and will not be disturbed.
¶ 24. THE JUDGMENT OF THE FORREST COUNTY CHANCERY COURT IS AFFIRMED. COST OF THIS APPEAL ARE ASSESSED TO THE APPELLANT.
THOMAS, LEE, AND MYERS, JJ., CONCUR. IRVING, J., CONCURS IN RESULT ONLY WITH SEPARATE WRITTEN OPINION. GRIFFIS, J., DISSENTS WITH SEPARATE WRITTEN OPINION JOINED BY KING, C.J., SOUTHWICK, P.J., AND CHANDLER, J.