Missouri trainer sues after fired for alleged racist feedback
John Magoffin, middle, testifies all the way through a listening to at Harrisonville Top Faculty.
Katie Moore
A former Harrisonville science trainer fired a yr in the past for allegedly making racist feedback in the study room contends in a federal lawsuit that the district discriminated towards him when it terminated his employment.
John Magoffin filed the lawsuit Monday within the U.S. District Courtroom in Western Missouri towards the Harrisonville Faculty District, alleging the district violated his civil rights via retaliating towards him and firing him.
Superintendent Paul Mensching, stated he was once not able to remark in regards to the swimsuit as it’s a body of workers factor and since they’ve no longer won formal notification.
The swimsuit facilities across the Harrisonville college board’s choice to fireside of Magoffin for allegedly the usage of the n-word all the way through an AP Biology magnificence, making disparaging remarks in regards to the Black Lives Subject motion and ladies who put on leggings, and relating to Martin Luther King Day as “Black Privilege Day.”
His firing got here after the district held a public listening to that lasted just about 12 hours in June 2021.
“The Board concluded that Mr. Magoffin’s use of irrelevant language violated the principles and laws of the District and was once unacceptable habits for a tenured trainer within the District,” the varsity district stated in a observation when it introduced its choice on July 1, 2021.
In his lawsuit, Magoffin, who denies the usage of the n-word, contends he was once singled out for “state sanctioned single-viewpoint discrimination” for looking to educate scholars higher-level of considering and analytical talents that challenged their viewpoints. He stated he was once looking to get ready them for actual international eventualities.
He identified that as a part of the district’s freshman and sophomore point lessons, scholars are required to learn “To Kill a Mockingbird” which makes use of the n-word in its entirety.
He contends he was once condemning using the notice when his dialogue about race and language identity with a scholar was once overheard via others.
“This benign dialogue become a federal case since the District was once bent on opposite discrimination, retaliating, and canceling a white, male, Christian trainer, who some would possibly label as conservative, from the schooling tradition of Harrisonville for worry of backlash,” the swimsuit stated.
He contends the district discriminated towards him in response to his race, colour, intercourse and faith and retaliated towards him when he complained that directors suspended him in April 2021.
The suspension allegedly got here inside of per week after Magoffin had a dialogue with the son of Superintendent Mensching in regards to the Mormon faith and evaluations about classifying Mormonism as a department of Christianity.
Magoffin was once involved the superintendent brought on an investigation in response to that dialogue, in line with the lawsuit. He contends his grievance about spiritual retaliation was once no longer investigated till a month after he was once fired.
Magoffin contends his rights had been violated underneath the Name VII of the Civil Rights Act and Missouri Human Rights Act. He seeks in far more than $75,000 in damages.
This tale was once in the beginning revealed July 26, 2022 11:51 AM.
Robert A. Cronkleton will get up very early within the morning to deliver readers breaking information about crime, transportation and climate on the crack of first light. He’s been at The Big name since 1987 and now contributes information reporting and video enhancing. He has a Bachelor of Arts stage from Rockhurst Faculty, the place he studied communications and laptop science.
