Court Opinion

ID: 9670388
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 03:19:46.390262+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:16:04.208898
License: Public Domain

LEVINE, Justice,
concurring and dissenting.
While I agree that substantial compliance with the procedural requirement of a written performance review is all that is required, I believe that whether the “supervisory report” constitutes substantial compliance is a question of fact. I would therefore reverse the trial court’s summary judgment and remand this case for trial.
Substantial compliance is that degree of conformance with a procedural requirement necessary to accomplish the purposes of that requirement. See Stensrud v. Mayville State College, 368 N.W.2d 519, 522 (N.D.1985). So, exact conformance is not necessary, if “the substantial interests [the] procedures are designed to safeguard are in fact satisfied and protected....” Stensrud v. Mayville State College at 522, quoting Piacitelli v. Southern Utah State College, 636 P.2d 1063, 1067 (Utah 1981).
Whether there is substantial compliance is ordinarily a question of fact. Stensrud v. Mayville State College, supra at 523. The majority concludes that the purpose of the performance review is to inform the teacher of the administration’s expectations and to alert the teacher of any deficiencies in her work. It becomes a material ques*645tion of fact then, whether Retzlaff was in fact alerted to her deficiencies and informed about the administration’s expectations of her performance as well as the consequences of not fulfilling those expectations.
I concur with the majority’s resolution of the other issues in this case but respectfully dissent from its treatment of the issue of substantial compliance and from its affirmance of the summary judgment.