Norgrove v. Board of Education

23 Misc. 3d 684
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 13, 2009
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 23 Misc. 3d 684 (Norgrove v. Board of Education) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Norgrove v. Board of Education, 23 Misc. 3d 684 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2009).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Joan A. Madden, J.

In this CPLR article 78 proceeding, petitioner, a tenured mathematics teacher of 28 years, seeks to annul the determination of respondents Board of Education of the City School District of the City of New York and Joel I. Klein (collectively the Board of Education) which terminated his employment; petitioner also seeks retroactive reinstatement with full back salary, including interest, and all benefits. For the reasons delineated below, the petition is granted.

The following facts are not disputed unless otherwise noted. By letters dated December 20 and 21, 2006, the Board of Education advised petitioner that “a serious allegation has been made against you,” and “[p] ending the outcome of the investigation . . . you are reassigned” to “Region 8 Human Resources.” These letters were hand-delivered to petitioner at work and neither letter has an address for petitioner.

On May 11, 2007, while petitioner was working at the Region 8 Human Resources Center (the reassignment center), he received by hand delivery from the Board of Education a document entitled “Notice of Charges” (first notice), which stated as follows:

“In view of your unprofessional conduct while a teacher at Automotive High School, an Empowerment School located in Brooklyn during 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 school years, the following charges are being preferred:
“1. Just Cause for disciplinary action under Education Law § 3020-a;
“2. Incompetent and inefficient service;
“3. Conduct unbecoming Respondent’s position, or conduct prejudicial to the good order, efficiency or discipline of the service;
“4. Substantial cause rendering Respondent unfit to perform his obligations properly to the service;
[686]*686“5. Violation of Chancellor’s Regulation A-421;
“6. Violation of Chancellor’s Regulation A-420;
“7. Insubordination;
“8. Neglect of duty; and
“9. Just cause of termination.
“By this notice you are hereby informed of the nature of the complaint. I will be preferring and filing the above charges. You will be informed of the procedures involved in the Trial of Charges.”

The Board of Education submits affidavits of service that the first notice was personally delivered to petitioner at work, and that it was also sent via certified and regular mail addressed to petitioner at “428 Worthman Avenue, Apt. No. 1, Brooklyn, New York, 11207.” Petitioner concedes he received the hand-delivered copy, but denies receipt of the certified and regular mailed copies. He explains that he last resided at Worthman Avenue more than five years ago, and since 2003, he had resided at his current address, 22 Covert Street, Apt. 3R, Brooklyn, New York 11207. While petitioner asserts that the Board of Education’s Office of Salary Services lists his correct address at 22 Covert Street, the Board of Education asserts that it used the Worthman Avenue address “because that was the address BOE [Board of Education] had in its HRS [human resource system] for the petitioner in May of 2007.”

On May 16, 2007, the Board of Education issued a “Notice of Determination of Probable Cause on Charges Brought Against Tenured School District Employee, Section 3020-a Education Law” (second notice) addressed to petitioner at the Worthman Avenue address. The second notice advised that the Board of Education “has found there is probable cause on the attached charges preferred against you,” and that “[w]ithin ten days of receipt of these charges, you must elect to request a hearing before an impartial hearing officer, or [you] will waive your right to such a hearing.” The second notice also advised that if petitioner did “not request a hearing to contest these charges, the maximum penalty that will be imposed will be termination.” The notice included a form for requesting a hearing and detailed 12 separate factual “Specifications,” in which petitioner allegedly “rendered incompetent and inefficient service, engaged in verbal abuse and unprofessional conduct.”1

The Board of Education asserts that it sent the second notice to the Worthman Avenue address by certified and regular mail, [687]*687and that the regular mail copy was not returned and the certified mail copy was returned “unclaimed.” Petitioner asserts [688]*688that he never received the second notice since it was not sent to his correct address, and as a result he could not have submitted a timely request for hearing.

[687]*687“Specification 1: On or about December 13, 2005, Respondent: a) told Student A in words to the effect of leave the class because he didn’t like her; b) pointed at Student A through a window and laughed at her.
“Specification 2: On or about March 29, 2006, Respondent failed to call in when he was absent.
“Specification 3: On or about September 5, 2006, Respondent failed to attend his 9th period class after being told to do so by Assistant Principal Dietrich.
“Specification 4: On or about September 7, 2006, Respondent smoked a cigarette on school premises in violation of Chancellor’s Regulation C-810.
“Specification 5: On or about September 7, 2006, Respondent told students words to the effect of: a) You are getting me aggravated; b) If you don’t want to be here, don’t come to school and aggravate me; c) See what happens when you do the wrong thing; d) There’s always a method to the madness; e) If I had a better classroom, I might be able to deal with it; f) I cannot work like this either.
“Specification 6: On or about September 8, 2006, Respondent was dismissed from a disciplinary meeting because of behavior indicative of intoxication.
“Specification 7: Throughout the fall of 2006 Respondent: a) mumbled under his breath; b) was jittery and jumpy; c) appeared unfocused during class.
“Specification 8: On or about September 26, 2006, Respondent rendered an unsatisfactory lesson as observed by Assistant principal Eileen Dietrich in that Respondent failed to: a) properly plan and prepare for the lesson; b) circle the room to assess student work and answer questions; c) use a closure activity; d) maintain a level of academic rigor and content appropriate for the students; e) follow through to have all the students work in groups; f) focus on the entire class; g) immediately address a student error; h) teach the whole period; i) engage students in the lesson; j) properly pace the lesson; k) use a proper ‘Do Now’ activity; 1) properly call on students; m) maintain control of the class; n) pay attention to routine matters.
“Specification 9: On or about October 12, 2006, Respondent failed to appear for a medical examination and failed to contact the office to notify anyone.
“Specification 10: On or about December 12, 2006, Respondent told a student words to the effect of I don’t need this disabled mind in my classroom.

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Bluebook (online)
23 Misc. 3d 684, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/norgrove-v-board-of-education-nysupct-2009.