69传媒

Law & Courts

Florida District to Pay Teacher at Center of Black Lives Matter Flag Controversy $300,000

By Emily Bloch, The Florida Times-Union 鈥 August 17, 2021 1 min read
081721 Duval 69传媒 BLM Teacher TNS BS
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

The Duval County School Board will pay a $300,000 to settle a lawsuit from earlier this year.

Amy Donofrio, a former Riverside High School (then Lee High) teacher, said she was unfairly removed from her teaching position in March. She made national news, saying administrators told her to take down the Black Lives Matter flag that had been hanging over her doorway. After she refused, the district temporarily reassigned her to warehouse operations and said she was being investigated for 鈥渟everal matters.鈥

The Southern Poverty Law Center 鈥 who represented Donofrio 鈥 said the reassignment was an effort on the school district鈥檚 behalf to 鈥渞etaliate鈥 against the teacher and also violated her right to free speech.

This month, the Duval School Board voted to that would prevent the case from a years-long court process that could potentially cost millions of dollars.

鈥淭hough we know we haven鈥檛 done anything wrong, these are taxpayer dollars,鈥 board member Warren Jones said at the time.

Separately, Donofrio鈥檚 teaching contract was not renewed with Duval 69传媒.

Now, new details from a public records request show that the school board agreed to pay a $300,000 settlement with $240,000 going to Donofrio and the remaining $60,000 to her attorneys.

As part of the agreement, Donofrio cannot apply for reemployment within Duval 69传媒. According to the document, the school board had not concluded its disciplinary investigation into Donofrio. Now that the case has been settled, the investigation will not be concluded. The Times-Union has requested initial findings from the investigation.

Donofrio said she is 鈥渄evastated鈥 to not be able to return to the classroom. She鈥檚 been teaching for over a decade and was well known for her work with the 鈥 a group she co-founded that works primarily with at-risk students.

Copyright (c) 2021, . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency.

Events

School & District Management Webinar Crafting Outcomes-Based Contracts That Work for Everyone
Discover the power of outcomes-based contracts and how they can drive student achievement.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in 69传媒
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by 
School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What鈥檚 Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What鈥檚 Trending among K-12 Leaders?

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide 鈥 elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

Law & Courts The Uncertainty Ahead for Title IX and Transgender 69传媒 in Trump's New Term
Trump may not be able to withdraw the Title IX rule on "Day 1," but advocates on both sides expect it to go away.
7 min read
Marshall University students hold a protest to voice concerns over the handling of Title IX-related issues at the university on Nov. 18, 2022, in Huntington, W.Va.
Marshall University students hold a protest to voice concerns over the handling of Title IX-related issues at the university on Nov. 18, 2022, in Huntington, W.Va.
Sholten Singer/The Herald-Dispatch via AP
Law & Courts Ten Commandments Law for Public 69传媒 Is 'Impermissible,' Judge Rules
The Louisiana law would require displays of the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom.
4 min read
Photo of Ten Commandments poster on school wall.
Getty
Law & Courts Supreme Court Weighs High-Stakes Fraud Issue for E-Rate Program
The justices appear to lean toward a ruling that could help keep schools from being overcharged by telecommunications companies.
8 min read
Image of students working on a computer.
Carlos Barquero Perez/iStock/Getty
Law & Courts Court Battles and Presidential Election Have Big Implications for Title IX Regulation
A federal appeals court heard arguments about whether some provisions of the Title IX regulation should be allowed to go into wider effect.
4 min read
Image of a gavel
iStock/Getty