A lawsuit against the Little Rock School District alleging racial discrimination and retaliation for complaints about employment and unhealthy working conditions was dismissed Friday.
Karen DeJarnette, former director of planning, research and evaluation, filed the lawsuit last year against the district, its board and former Superintendent Dexter Suggs, arguing that district leaders demoted her to a staff training position after eliminating her staff and supervisory duties and trying not to renew her contract.
DeJarnette is listed as a professional development specialist with the district's Leadership and Second Teacher Development unit, according to the district's website.
U.S. District Judge James Moody Jr. said in the dismissal order that he was notified by the "parties that this action has been settled." DeJarnette's attorney had filed the motion to dismiss.
District Superintendent Baker Kurrus could not be reached for comment Friday. Little Rock School District senior executive assistant Beverly Griffin said Friday that Kurrus was out of the office and "not reachable" by phone. Kurrus also did not return an email asking for details on the settlement of the case.
Arkansas Department of Education spokesman Kimberly Friedman said the department "does not have a comment on this" and referred a reporter for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette to Little Rock School District spokesman Pamela Smith.
Smith did not return a message left on her work number and her cellphone voice mail was full.
Messages left for Little Rock School District's attorney, Christopher Heller, as well as DeJarnette's attorney, state Rep. John Walker, also were not returned.
DeJarnette accused district leaders of retaliation and of health, sex and age discrimination. The district's actions came after she filed a 2012 worker's compensation claim because of health problems and after she told Suggs that schools with predominantly black enrollments were inferior to other schools in terms of facilities and academics.
Metro on 07/11/2015