USD 475 moves forward following lawsuit, celebrates Purple Star designation

TOPEKA (KSNT) - After a Fort Riley Middle School teacher was awarded $95,000 in damages and attorney’s fees after a lawsuit claimed her first amendment rights were violated, the USD 475 school district is looking to move forward as a new school year is underway. Superintendent Dr. Reginald Eggleston stopped by 27 News Monday morning to tell us the latest happenings in the district.

Pamela Ricard, a math teacher at the school, filed a lawsuit against the district after she was reprimanded and suspended for addressing a student by the student’s legal and enrolled name and forced her to conceal the student’s social transition from her parents, according to the Alliance for Defending Freedom.

Dr. Eggleston said the district always wants to do what it can to provide a safe place for all students.

"We follow the law and we put procedures and practices in place so that teachers can abide by them and of course do the right thing in order to keep a safe place for all students," he said. "We will continue to monitor the situation. We have policies and procedures in place that we are ensuring everyone is aware of so that we can respond accordingly if events in the future occur like this."

Geary County Schools is the first district in Kansas to receive a Purple Star designation, which helps schools “respond to the educational and social-emotional challenges military-connected children face during their transition to a new school."

To see the full interview with Superintendent Eggleston, watch the video above. For more information about the school district, click here.

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