Lamar County Board of Education v. Steedley

236 So. 2d 337, 45 Ala. App. 672, 1970 Ala. Civ. App. LEXIS 524
CourtCourt of Civil Appeals of Alabama
DecidedJune 3, 1970
Docket6 Div. 24
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 236 So. 2d 337 (Lamar County Board of Education v. Steedley) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Civil Appeals of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lamar County Board of Education v. Steedley, 236 So. 2d 337, 45 Ala. App. 672, 1970 Ala. Civ. App. LEXIS 524 (Ala. Ct. App. 1970).

Opinion

*674 BRADLEY, Judge.

This case began with a hearing before the Lamar County Board of Education (hereinafter ’ called Board), pursuant to Title 52, Section 356, Code of Alabama 1940, as Recompiled 1958, wherein the appellee contested his proposed transfer from the Millport High School to the Kennedy Consolidated School, both schools being in Lamar County. After the transfer was reaffirmed by the Board, appellee appealed to the State Tenure Commission (hereinafter called Commission) for a review of the Board’s decision as is authorized by Title 52, Section 357, Code of Alabama 1940, as Recompiled 1958. The Commission, after hearing, upheld the Board’s decision to transfer, and appellee thereupon filed a petition in the Circuit Court of Lamar County seeking a writ of mandamus to be issued against the Board, the Commission and the individual members of each agency, seeking to have set aside the order of the Commission upholding the Board.

A demurrer was filed to the original petition and it was sustained. Thereupon, appellee amended said petition and the demurrer which was filed thereto was later overruled. Respondents then answered the petition.

Trial was had before the Circuit Court based on the transcript of the proceedings made before the Board, the taking of additional oral testimony on behalf of petitioner over the objection of respondents, and the answer of respondents.

Judgment was entered against the respondents on August 26, 1969, and on August 29, 1969 respondents appealed to the Supreme Court of Alabama.

On September 12, 1969 the trial court amended its final judgment so that the writ of mandamus would be directed against the Commission as well as the Board.

The case was subsequently transferred to this court for decision.

The appellants have filed three assignments of error with the record in this case.

Assignment number two contends - that the final judgment of the Circuit Court is erroneous.

The facts in the case reveal that appellee was a teacher and coach at the Millport High School which is located in Lamar County, and had been so employed for the past four years.

The testimony given to the Board tended to show that the appellee was highly regarded as a coach and teacher, and that his character and reputation was good.

It also was shown by the proceedings before the Board that a conflict had developed between the appellee and principal of Millport High relating to the athletic program.

After one of the football games in 1968, appellee had threatened to resign because of some alleged problems with the principal and later a disagreement arose be *675 tween the appellee and principal concerning basketball practice by some of the students while football practice was in progress.

After this confrontation with the principal, appellee went to the County Superintendent of Education’s office and requested a transfer. Mr. Allen, the Superintendent, told the appellee that the County Board of Education had sole authority to transfer a teacher from one school to another school in the county, but that he would recommend to the Board at their next meeting that appellee be transferred to another school.

On February 25, 1969 the Board, on written recommendation of the Superintendent, gave to the Superintendent authority to transfer appellee to another school in the county after the Superintendent had informed the Board that appellee requested the transfer.

The Board, at its meeting on March 19, 1969, approved the minutes of the February 25, 1969 meeting, at which time appellee’s requested transfer had been granted.

On May 7, 1969 the Board held a meeting to which it had invited the principal of Millport Fligh and the appellee to appear and make a statement about the problems each had encountered during the past school year.

The principal stated that appellee had not cooperated to the fullest so far as the athletic program at the school was concerned, and that it would hurt the program if appellee was permitted to return to the school.

Appellee countered by stating that he had been treated unfairly at the school because the principal had not given his full support to the football program.

No recommendations or motions were made to the Board to rescind its previous decision to transfer appellee from Millport High.

On May 26, 1969 the Board, during its meeting, was informed that appellee had requested, in writing, ' a hearing before the Board to contest his transfer from Millport High to Kennedy Consolidated School. This school was located six miles from Millport High.

It should be pointed out here that prior to the request for a hearing before the Board, appellee had been notified in writing that the Board had transferred him to the Kennedy School, as requested, without loss of status or violation of his contract.

On June 9, 1969 the Board held a hearing on the transfer as requested by appellee. The proceedings before the Board were taken by the Court Reporter of the 24th Judicial Circuit. Witnesses appeared and testified on behalf of appellee; the County Superintendent testified and introduced into evidence the minutes of the Board reflecting its action on the matter in controversy.

Several of the witnesses testifying on behalf of appellee stated that two or three of the Board members had stated to them that the transfer was for “personal” reasons. However, on cross-examination of these same witnesses, they further stated that the “personal” reasons were not personal to the Board members.

The testimony of some of the witnesses for appellee was to the effect that there was a conflict between the principal of the school and appellee.

After the hearing, the appellee was notified in writing that the Board was going to abide by its original decision to transfer him to Kennedy School.

Appellee then filed notice of appeal to the State Tenure Commission from the Board’s decision.

Although we are unable to find in this record the notice of appeal to the Tenure Commission, with a copy of said appeal being filed with the Board, as required by Title 52, Section 357, supra, we do *676 find in Exhibit B-l, page 95 of the transcript, correspondence between the Tenure Commission and the attorney for the Board which states -that the appellee notified the Board and the Commission of his desire to appeal the Board’s decision to the Commission. The Board’s attorney then went on to explain the problem of obtaining a transcript of the proceedings from the court reporter within the 20 day period required by statute.

It also appears from Exhibit B-2, transcript page 99, that the Secretary of the Commission acknowledged the appeal of the appellee, Steedley, to the Commission, asking for a review of the decision of the Board to transfer him to another school.

The Commission heard the appeal of Mr. Steedley on July 16, 1969, and on that same day rendered a decision upholding the action of the Board transferring him to another school.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Carlisle v. Phenix City Board of Education
849 F.2d 1376 (Eleventh Circuit, 1988)
Alabama State Tenure Commission v. Houston County Board of Education
495 So. 2d 692 (Court of Civil Appeals of Alabama, 1986)
Beitel v. BOARD OF SCHOOL COM'RS OF MOBILE CTY.
419 So. 2d 242 (Court of Civil Appeals of Alabama, 1982)
Alabama State Tenure Commission v. Board of Education
384 So. 2d 1100 (Court of Civil Appeals of Alabama, 1980)
Freeman v. Jefferson County Board of Education
375 So. 2d 264 (Court of Civil Appeals of Alabama, 1979)
Alabama State Tenure Commission v. Mountain Brook Board of Education
343 So. 2d 522 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1976)
ALABAMA STATE TENURE COM'N v. Mt. Brook Bd. of Ed.
343 So. 2d 522 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1976)
Alabama State Tenure Com'n v. Board of Sch. Com'rs
332 So. 2d 724 (Court of Civil Appeals of Alabama, 1976)
Marshall County Board of Education v. State Tenure Commission
280 So. 2d 123 (Court of Civil Appeals of Alabama, 1972)
Lamar County Board of Education v. Steedley
236 So. 2d 346 (Court of Civil Appeals of Alabama, 1970)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
236 So. 2d 337, 45 Ala. App. 672, 1970 Ala. Civ. App. LEXIS 524, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lamar-county-board-of-education-v-steedley-alacivapp-1970.