A former high school cafeteria worker for the Independence (Mo.) School District has been awarded a judgment of more than $340,000 in a wrongful termination lawsuit against the district.
The Kansas City Star reports that Amy Stubbs had worked as a cook in the cafeteria at William Chrisman High School, where her daughter attended school, until she was fired in May 2015.
Stubbs contended in the lawsuit that her daughter had been subjected to sexual harassment by students at the school. After she complained that the district wasn't doing enough to protect her daughter from the harassment, Stubbs asserts, she was disciplined and eventually fired for complaining to district officials.
A Jackson County, Mo., jury awarded Stubbs $40,000 in compensatory damages and $300,000 in punitive damages of against the district. The jury also imposed a judgment of $1,000 against the district’s human resources director, Cindy Grant.
The school district says Stubbs was fired for posting comments on social media about a security issue at a school building. The district did not respond to questions about what those comments were or what the security issue was.
“A decision was made by the school district to not continue Ms. Stubbs’ employment, because she posted comments on social media during her work day concerning a security issue at one of the district’s school buildings, potentially putting staff and students at risk," a statement from the Independence district read. "The district terminated Ms. Stubbs with cause and plans to appeal the verdict,”
