District 81 Tries To Fire Teacher At Sacajawea But Educator Appeals Claims Of Verbal Abuse Of Children

Is Jeanell Malone a burned-out teacher who lost her cool with kids, or one who simply demanded good behavior in her classroom?

As Spokane School District 81 takes steps to fire her, the Sacajawea Middle School social studies teacher says she simply has high standards.

“I believe kids should show respect and do their work, and those two beliefs placed my job in jeopardy,” Malone said.

Superintendent Gary Livingston notified her Nov. 27 that the district would take steps to fire her. That decision was made public by the state Office of Professional Practices last week.

“In the aggregate, your behavior demonstrates a pattern of deficiency in the form of demeaning, inappropriate, cruel, excessive and unacceptable behavior toward children,” Livingston wrote Malone.

The charges against Malone involve verbal abuse only.

District officials put Malone on paid leave last April, citing repeated angry outbursts toward students.

A veteran teacher, she is at top scale and earns $46,740 a year.

Malone told Assistant Principal Kathy Williams that a certain student “needed to be hurt,” according to the school district. Another time, she allegedly grabbed a student’s shoulder during an argument and told him to “shut up or you will get slapped,” the district said.

Over several years, Principal Herb Rotchford informally discussed Malone’s behavior with her, then warned her verbally and in writing. He gave her a written reprimand last March.

Malone, supported by the teachers union, has appealed her firing. District and union attorneys will pick a hearing officer and a date for a hearing, which will be closed to the public.

If she loses, Malone may appeal in Superior Court.

State law requires the district to continue paying Malone during the appeal.

Firing a teacher can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars when attorneys get involved, said Larry Swift, director of the Washington State School Directors Association.

District 81 normally tries to avoid firing teachers, said attorney Paul Clay, who is handling the case.

“Spokane School District tries hard to work with employees when they perceive there are issues an employee needs to deal with,” Clay said. “In doing that, they try very hard to avoid the ultimate action of discharge.”

The district offered to consider Malone for a job outside the classroom before her appeal.

Livingston reported Malone’s alleged conduct to the office of the state superintendent of public instruction, as required by state law. The state will investigate and could yank Malone’s teaching certificate.

Malone has more than 25 years of teaching experience.

She has taught 12 years at Sacajawea. Before that, she taught in Minnesota and South Dakota and at Evergreen Junior High in Central Valley School District. From 1979 to 1983, she worked as a legal assistant.

District 81’s personnel director, Mark Anderson, said anger, “when it turns demeaning,” is against the state’s teaching code of professional practices.

“It’s amazing what can happen to you if you have high standards and ethics,” Malone said.

, DataTimes