Teacher Loses Appeal Of Firing By Mead Schools

A teacher accused of having sexual relations with two students when he worked at Lewis and Clark High School lost an appeal of his dismissal by the Mead School District.

Hearing officer Jane Wilkinson on Wednesday upheld Mead’s decision to fire Shawn Wright, said Scott Menard, the Mead School District’s superintendent of personnel.

Wright, Northwood Junior High’s former choir director, can appeal Wilkinson’s decision to Superior Court, Menard said.

Wright’s attorney, Bill Powell, refused to comment, saying he hadn’t seen a copy of the ruling. Wright has denied the charges.

The Mead district placed Wright on paid administrative leave in September 1993 after a former LC student, Laurie Brockmann, notified Spokane School District 81 that she and Wright had had a sexual relationship while she was his student.

Brockmann settled late last year with the Spokane district’s insurance company for an amount not made public.

Mead’s nine-month investigation led it to fire Wright in July. Reasons cited for his dismissal included having sex with one student, sexually exploiting a second student and serving alcohol to minors.

Wright appealed the decision to a mutually selected arbitrator.

By state law, Mead was forced to continue paying Wright until 10 days after the Dec. 9 hearing before Wilkinson.

The district no longer has any financial obligation to Wright, Menard said.

Wright, former Lewis and Clark choir director, worked for District 81 from 1982 through 1987 and went to work for Mead in 1988.