News
Second Grievance Filed Against Trimble In Case Of Basketball Coach
By: Sarah Hawley | Athens Messenger staff reporter
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A second grievance has been filed by the Trimble Local Teachers Association concerning actions related to the non-hiring of former varsity boys basketball coach Curt Moore for that position in the 2014-15 school year.
Moore, who is also a fourth-grade teacher in the district, had served as the basketball coach since the 2009-10 season before the position was awarded to Howie Caldwell last month. That hiring led to the first grievance filing by the teachers association.
The second filing, signed by association President Christine Snoddy on Wednesday, claims the school board or its agents violated the collective bargaining agreement when anonymous letters, reports and/or communications were included in Moore’s personnel file. It also states that the agreement was violated when documents were put in Moore’s file, but not reviewed by Moore and the principal.
The second grievance states that by doing so the board violated as many as three sections of the contract between the teachers association and the board.
According to those sections of the contract, “no anonymous letter, report or communication shall be included in the teacher’s personnel file.”
It also states that communication from the administration or from parents and non-professionals intended to be placed in the file must be reviewed by the principal and staff member to allow the staff member the opportunity to respond. Informal notes or records about teachers maintained by administrators must be considered as working files during the school year and must either be destroyed at the end of each year or included in the official file in accordance with the other provisions.
The union is seeking to have all anonymous documents, and any other documents deemed to violate the contract, removed from Moore’s personnel file.
The initial grievance filing has moved through the chain of command and was denied Tuesday by the board. The original grievance was filed on May 30 with high school Principal Matt Curtis, who subsequently denied the grievance. It was then filed with Supt. Kim Jones, who also denied the grievance.
The teachers association must now decide if the board’s response is satisfactory. If not, the association may choose to pursue arbitration.
The first grievance alleges that Moore was passed over for the coaching position when the board instead hired Caldwell, who is outside the bargaining unit. The association states in the grievance that Moore is a qualified and certified staff member for the position.