Opinion ID: 3010896
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: introduction

Text: This matter is before this court on an appeal from an order for summary judgment entered in favor of the employer in this employment discrimination action. The appellant Charles Jones instituted this case against his former employer, the School District of Philadelphia, pursuant to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), 42 U.S.C. SS 2000e et seq., the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act (PHRA), Pa. Stat. Ann. tit. 43, SS 951 et seq., (West 1991), and 42 U.S.C. S 1981. The school district employed Jones as a teacher from 1985 to 1995, certified to teach physics, chemistry, biology and other subjects. Jones resigned from the school district effective June 30, 1995. According to Jones, he resigned because school district personnel informed him that he would be terminated involuntarily unless he did so. Jones, an African-American, then filed this lawsuit, alleging race discrimination and retaliation by the school district. We set forth the background of the matter at some length as the case is intensely fact driven. Jones's first assignment in the school district was in the science department at Northeast High School (NEHS) where he taught physical science, chemistry, and physics. Jones remained at NEHS until March 1993, when the school district transferred him to George Washington High School (GWHS). In addition to his teaching responsibilities at NEHS, Jones served as the boys' varsity soccer coach from 1985 to the time of his transfer. Jones applied for the 2 position of girls' soccer coach in January 1993, but NEHS chose another teacher for that position. As early as the first year of Jones's assignment to NEHS, Principal Francis Hoban began to receive complaints from Jones's students that he was hostile in class. Hoban testified at his deposition that several students objected to the way that Jones talked down to his students. In addition, students and parents complained to Hoban that Jones's grading policy was too strict, leading Hoban to indicate to Jones that his grading policy was unrealistic, and resulted in disproportionately large numbers of failures. Hoban disciplined Jones several times during his employment at NEHS because of student and parent complaints and other incidents. At his deposition, Hoban characterized formal disciplinary action against a teacher as taking essentially one of two forms: (1) a memorandum directed from school administration to the teacher setting forth the nature of the teacher's unsatisfactory conduct, or (2) an SEH-204, which is an anecdotal record and is viewed as a more severe form of reprimand. A teacher could receive an SEH-204 reprimand for an unsatisfactory classroom evaluation or for other conduct that an administrator considered unacceptable. Jones believes that for the most part the disciplinary actions taken against him were improper or unwarranted, and that his comments often were misunderstood. Moreover, he asserts that Hoban repeatedly targeted him for harassment because of his race. The school district's disciplinary actions against Jones included several memoranda on a variety of issues, at least two SEH-204s based upon unsatisfactory classroom evaluations, and several SEH-204s pertaining to other unsatisfactory conduct. For example, Hoban issued several memoranda to Jones regarding problems students, parents and staff encountered in connection with Jones's responsibilities as the varsity soccer team coach. In addition, Hoban issued memoranda to Jones concerning his teaching style and complaints from students and parents on this point. Jones also received memoranda from administrators regarding his failure to meet with parents of students in his class upon request and his failure to attend 3 a parents' conference on November 17, 1992. Finally, Jones received a memorandum from NEHS Assistant Principal Lowman in January 1993 regarding an incident between Jones and NEHS guidance counselor Nick Tancredi in which Tancredi alleged that Jones became abusive. Jones also received a number of SEH-204s during his employment at NEHS. The first appears to have been sent in 1991, and concerned several complaints of parents and teachers regarding his grading policy and allegedly hostile attitude towards his students. Jones was issued another SEH-204 in January 1992 as a result of a verbal altercation between him and Ernest Davis, a school district supervisory employee. Davis accused Jones of calling him an ass and a horse's ass in response to a discussion between them concerning the safety of Jones's field house locker room office. Hoban gave Jones another SEH-204 in December 1992 that documented an unsatisfactory classroom evaluation. Hoban stated in the record of the observation that Jones had little interaction with the students and that his tone of voice was harsh. Hoban also indicated that he observed very little instruction, and that Jones's method of lecture was inappropriate in a lab subject such as physics. Hoban instructed Jones to engage in the following actions: (1) turn lesson plans into the department head each week which detail course objectives and student lab work; (2) get students involved in the program; (3) turn in cut slips for students; (4) contact parents of students performing poorly in class; and (5) contact parents of students on the student roll but not attending class. Jones received a second unsatisfactory classroom evaluation in February 1993, again in the form of an SEH204. By the time of this evaluation, Hoban already had informed Jones of his intention to recommend his transfer to another school. The final matter leading to the school district's transfer of Jones from NEHS appears to have occurred in or about January 1993. Hoban and Assistant Principal Lowman sent Jones memoranda directing him to meet with a parent of one of Jones's students. Apparently, the student was failing 4 Jones's physics class, and his mother wanted to meet with Jones to discuss the situation. When the mother arrived, Jones refused to meet with her without union representation at the meeting. Thereafter, Hoban directed Jones to meet with the student's mother but he again refused to do so. According to Jones, on the advice of his union representative he refused to meet any parent without union representation. Jones explained that he was fearful for his safety in view of prior incidents in which a parent and a student had threatened him. As a result of Jones's conduct, Hoban issued him an SEH-204, characterizing his failure to meet with the mother as insubordinate in the circumstances. Hoban stated that the mother attempted to contact Jones on several occasions to schedule a meeting, but that Jones never responded to her requests or notes. Hoban recommended that Jones be suspended and administratively transferred from NEHS as a result of the incident. In March 1993, Frank Guido, the regional superintendent for the school district, upheld the transfer recommendation. In fact, the school district transferred Jones to GWHS in April 1993 on special assignment for the remainder of the 1992-93 school year. During the summer of 1993, the administrators required Jones to list five alternatives for his placement for the 1993-94 school year. Jones chose GWHS in the hope that he could teach physics there. Sam Karlin, the new science department head for GWHS for the 1993-94 school year, was responsible for assigning rosters to teachers in his department. Karlin assigned the physics roster for the 1993-94 school year to a white woman. On the first day of school, Jones learned that he was not assigned the physics roster, and he went to see Karlin to discuss the issue. Jones states in his affidavit that he told Karlin that he should have received the physics roster because the teacher selected was not certified to teach the class. Jones claims that Karlin refused to change the assignment of the physics roster, and ignored what Jones told him. Thereafter, Jones brought the issue to the attention of Assistant Principal Alvin Vaughn and Principal Harry Gutelius, but both indicated that they would stand by Karlin's decision. 5 Sometime during the fall of the 1993-94 school year, Karlin received a telephone call from a parent of one of Jones's students alleging that Jones threatened to hit his students with a baseball bat. Specifically, the parent stated that when a student threw a piece of paper at Jones he responded in the following manner: If I find out who threw that paper I'll kick your ass. I'll hit you in self defense if I have to. If I have to bring in a baseball bat I will. I had a problem in another school with a girl there and there was a court case. I have the district attorney's number and I won't hesitate to use it. Jones states in his affidavit that he remembers stating only that he would defend himself if necessary, and then asked, do I need to bring in a baseball to protect myself. Karlin reported the call to Assistant Principal Vaughn, who investigated the matter by interviewing students and meeting with Jones and his union representative. As a result of the investigation, Vaughn issued Jones an SEH204, and recommended to Gutelius that Jones be suspended for five days without pay and administratively transferred from GWHS. In addition to the episode involving the threat, Vaughn recommended Jones's transfer based upon his continued exercise of poor judgment, and failure to adhere to school district policies and procedures. In reaching his conclusion, Vaughn relied upon the information he gathered during his investigation, various memoranda from Karlin to Jones, as well as an SEH-204 dated January 6, 1993, from Principal Hoban. Gutelius also recommended Jones's transfer after considering Vaughn's SEH-204. The school district approved Jones's transfer to Edison HighFareira Skills Center (Edison) in or about the spring of 1994. Nevertheless, Jones was not transferred immediately from GWHS after the incident. Jones was assigned to Edison, which has a reputation of being a difficult school, for the 1994-95 school year. Jones states that on the first day of classes, Vice Principal Kinder conducted a classroom observation of him. Jones's union representative testified that generally speaking,from the 6 federation's point of view, a classroom observation on the first day of school would be unusual and inappropriate given the fact that the first day of classes is a hectic time for both teachers and students. In or around the fall of 1994, Jones made a comment to his students during class allegedly in response to a student's conduct in defacing school desks in Jones's presence. Jones states in his affidavit that he used words to the effect that the students should not deface the school because it was built for the Puerto Rican community. Arturo Velazquez, one of Jones's students, indicated that he was offended by the remarks. Jones then asked Velazquez to remain after class so that they could speak, and at the conclusion of class, Jones escorted Velazquez into a vacant adjoining room. The remainder of what occurred during Jones's encounter with Velazquez is in dispute. Jones claims that almost immediately Velazquez pushed him against afile cabinet and grabbed him in a headlock. Jones states that he attempted to wrestle Velazquez off his neck and torso, and that in doing so, his hand could have touched the student's face. In contrast, Velazquez told administrators that Jones punched him on the left eye and jaw, and threw him on the floor. Velazquez stated that he did not initiate any physical contact with Jones. Principal Raul Torres investigated the incident by interviewing Jones, Velazquez, and other students in the class at the time of Jones's comments about the Puerto Rican community. As a result of the investigation, Torres determined that Jones punched Velazquez without provocation and made inaccurate and racist comments which precipitated the event. Torres issued Jones an SEH204 which recommended his dismissal based upon the assault, his prior record of using profanity in addressing students in the classroom, and his prior use of implied threats to harm students. Jones, however, resigned from the school district as of June 30, 1995, and thus the school district did not directly discharge him.