GADSDEN COUNTY, Fla. — A former Gadsden County High School principal is suing the Gadsden County School Board and Superintendent Elijah Key.
Former principal Marlon Ball claims he faced retaliation after, among other things, passing along reports that school resource officer, Sèdele Candidate, was having sex with students. Candidate was arrested July 10th on several sex-related charged involving minors.
Ball’s lawsuit alleges the school district removed him as principal, reassigned him, excluded him from meetings and professional duties, and that he eventually lost reappointment. Ball’s attorney, Brandon Meeks of the Meeks Law Firm, argues those actions violated both Florida’s Whistleblower Act and Ball’s First Amendment rights.
“What kind of society are we if we punish people for doing the right thing, If we retaliate against people for reporting and exercising their rights... we’re seeking justice for Mr. Ball,” Meeks said.
Meeks argues this is the type of case Florida’s public whistleblower act was designed to address. Tallahassee lawyer, Rick Johnson, said the law “was meant to protect anybody who objected to any violation of a law, ruler regulation by the employer, anybody who was asked to do something illegal or who saw something being done.”
Johnson said whistleblower protections do not mean a case is automatically resolved simply because someone reports wrongdoing. He said whistleblowers should keep records, save documents and be prepared to show how their report...
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