Orange County School Board Rejects Hall’s Resignation
Local6 (Orlando), September 14, 2005
The Orange County School Board is rejecting the resignation of a teacher who quit after a controversy over a letter that sparked heated debate about free speech and race.
The decision comes after an announcement that Jan Hall, 59, planned to file a $20 million lawsuit against board members.
The Orange County School Board has six months to respond to the allegations that they intimidated and oppressed her.
“If your employer intentionally makes the conditions of your workplace so hostile that any reasonable person, in your shoes, would quit, then yes technically, she resigned,” Hall’s attorney Fred O’Neal said.
Hall was suspended without pay after a controversial letter was printed in the Spanish-language daily newspaper, El Nuevo Dia, spurring protests at Sadler Elementary School.
Addressed “Dear Honorable Congressman,” the letter said Hispanics and other Caribbean natives were taking jobs and charged that Hispanics and immigrants were hurting schools.
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O’Neal said he will ask Gov. Jeb Bush to remove school board members and the superintendent.
[Editor’s Note: For more on this story, click here.]
