Suit claims principal fired for supporting charter plan
The Los Angeles Times reports that Frank Wells, formerly principal of Locke High School (LHS), has filed a lawsuit against Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) alleging district officials fired him after he threw his support behind a plan to turn over LHS, one of LAUSD’s lowest performing schools, to a charter school operator. Mr. Wells contends he was discharged because of comments he made criticizing LAUSD and supporting the charter petition of Green Dot Public Schools. The lawsuit claims the district violated his right to free speech. Green Dot’s petition was eventually approved, and the group is scheduled to take over in July. The suit charges Mr. Wells was removed as principal after he was quoted in the Los Angeles Times as saying, “It is criminal to allow a school to continue on year after year, the way this one has. I went to Locke thinking I could turn it around, but I ran into a brick wall.” Nonetheless, Mr. Wells believes he had made substantial progress at LHS, reducing violence and raising academic performance. "I received outstanding evaluations," he said. "Under my leadership, it did improve significantly." The lawsuit says that Wells was officially removed for "improprieties" and "malfeasance," contentions he calls defamatory. The lawsuit specifically names Carol Truscott, the former superintendent of the local district that includes LHS, and Scott Braxton, one of her top aides. Both were recently relieved of their duties while LAUSD investigates their actions in an unrelated matter. LAUSD spokeswoman Susan Cox declined to comment on the lawsuit on the grounds it involves both legal and personnel issues.
Source: Los Angeles Times, 6/3/08, By Mitchell Landsberg