Aug. 26—Correction appended
A lawsuit alleging Santa Fe Public Schools punished an administrator who complained about bad behavior by her peers and high school athletes is in the jury's hands now.
Former Santa Fe High School Assistant Principal Kelly Rinaldi said in her 2020 complaint school officials began retaliating against her after she pushed for an investigation into sexual misconduct and cyberbullying by basketball players in 2017. Rinaldi said the poor treatment continued for two years thereafter, eventually leading to her discharge.
"Everything flowed from that," Rinaldi's attorney Linda Hemphill told jurors in her closing argument.
The evidentiary portion of the trial wrapped up Thursday after eight days of testimony during which numerous educators and school officials took the stand. The lawyers finished closing arguments and turned the case over to the jury for deliberation around 5:30 p.m.
In the years that followed her initial complaint, Hemphill said, Rinaldi alerted school officials to at least four other concerning issues, including alleged on-the-job drinking by an Early School Opportunities High School now-former principal after she left Santa Fe High to serve as assistant principal of that school.
Rinaldi, Hemphill said, also accused the former principal of disregarding students' rights and safety and mishandling of student funds, and blew the whistle on his successor for contemplating buying a home the school's students worked on, which Rinaldi said...
moneycontrol.com’s Post moneycontrol.com 1,301,152 followers 19m #World | Iran slams Trump’s ‘false claims’, warns Hormuz will not stay open Read More: https://lnkd.in/dJpX-iu9 Like Comme...