"If Eastmont could not fire Lynn McCoy for the acts testified in this case, then heaven help our children." JURY DECIDES AGAINST TEACHER.
July 31, 2008 - Two parents filed assault charges against her.
"You'll find they were dedicated, honest administrators who were faced with a very difficult problem," [Eastmont attorney Jerry] Moberg said in his opening statement. "They were faced with a teacher who created enough havoc that not just a few parents but 20 or 30 parents who had individual complaints against the way their child was treated by Ms. McCoy. ... It's hard to fire a bad teacher, as you'll hear from the evidence."Lynn McCoy, 57, taught at Cascade Elementary from 1991 until she was fired in March 2004.
Two principals tried to mention parent complaints in McCoy's evaluation but the comments were removed by the school superintendent. There were three investigations into McCoy's alleged mistreatment of children. The school district put McCoy on paid administrative leave for more than a year after two parents filed two separate misdemeanor assault charges.
A Douglas County district judge agreed in December 2003 to eventually dismiss the charges if McCoy committed no more offenses for a year.
McCoy is suing, claiming Eastmont school administrators retaliated against her for complaining too much. McCoy says administrators fired her in retaliation for the eight grievances she filed against at least three administrators and the school district in general, according to court documents.
According to court documents, McCoy's grievances included:McCoy is currently executive director for the Wenatchee Valley Dispute Resolution Center.
•Challenging negative comments in two annual evaluations
•Challenging the assistant superintendent's claim McCoy had a "pattern" of misconduct
•A grievance against the principal for creating a hostile work environment
•Two grievances against the district for not letting her attend union meetings on district property and not paying her attorney's fees in regard to the assault charges.
JURY DECIDES IN FAVOR OF SCHOOL DISTRICT August 14 - Ten of 12 jurors Wednesday decided against Lynn McCoy's claim that the district fired her in retaliation for grievances she filed with the teachers union.
The school district claims McCoy was fired for probable cause that she assaulted two students and emotionally abused several others, [Eastmont School District attorney Jerry] Moberg said.
"If Eastmont could not fire Lynn McCoy for the acts testified in this case, then heaven help our children," Moberg said during closing arguments Wednesday.
About 40 parents complained about the treatment of children, Moberg said. Their complaints against McCoy included humiliation, breaking down self-esteem and excessive punishment.
