Opinion ID: 773170
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Ulichny's Third Year and the Wedgie Incident

Text: 17 On July 1, 1997, Mark Flynn replaced Budisch as the District Administrator. Immediately after Flynn assumed the District Administrator position, he prepared a formal assistance plan for Ulichny, dated August 7, 1997, which identified four areas for improvement--school climate, leadership skills, interpersonal skills, and communication skills. Additionally, Flynn set goals and actions for Ulichny to perform, and set a timeline in which he expected these goals and actions to be accomplished. Flynn's plan required weekly meetings between Flynn and Ulichny in order that he might monitor her progress in team building skills and healthy communication. Additionally, Flynn was supposed to prepare quarterly written progress reports evaluating Ulichny's performance and development in order that Ulichny could continue to improve as a principal and the Board could monitor that improvement. 18 On October 14, 1997, before Flynn prepared any of the quarterly progress reports, approximately six 7th and 8th grade students physically and violently assaulted another boy on the playground: code named a wedgie. According to the district court's findings, 19 this was not a quick grab and release wedgie, a childhood prank between friends that even the Court remembers. This particular wedgie was of a very aggressive variety, i.e., there were 5-6 kids against 1, they forced their victim to the ground, they pulled so hard on his underwear that he was lifted into the air and dropped back to the ground, and his underwear tore in two places. The victim ran away crying. In short, this was not playful behavior between friends; it was a mean-spirited act of cruelty intended to humiliate the child at issue. 20 (Emphasis added). 21 Before deciding on any course of action, Ulichny called District Administrator Flynn and informed him of the wedgie incident and she proposed calling the sheriff's department. Flynn agreed with Ulichny's suggestion and Ulichny called Deputy Haizel, the school's D.A.R.E. officer. 6 22 Once at the scene, Deputy Haizel spoke with Ulichny, the students involved in the incident, and some of the students' parents. After his investigation, Deputy Haizel issued each of the students who had given the boy a wedgie a citation for disorderly conduct. 7 After the deputy issued the citations, Ulichny notified the parents of the students involved in the incident, relayed the fact that the police had been called, and advised them about the issuance of disorderly conduct citations. 8