PARK CITY, Utah — A former teacher claims the Park City School District retaliated against her after she reported sexual harassment incidents on behalf of her students.
Kathy Moore filed her lawsuit in district court last week following the alleged incidents which occurred at Parley's Park Elementary School in December 2020.
In the complaint, Moore said that several of her female students complained about a male student who was harassing them on the playground. Moore said she reported the claims to school principal Derek Houck, who allegedly responded by ordering Moore to split her classroom by gender and not allow them to "talk or play together."
The lawsuit says the school received "numerous complaints from parents" about Houck's solution.
Moore, who was on a one-year contract, claims that several weeks later she was transferred by the district to Trailside Elementary School, and that she was stripped of teaching duties and given the title of permanent substitute teacher. She also received a letter informing her that her contract would not be extended into the 2021-2022 school year.
In addition, Moore said she was "blacklisted by the district, which interfered with her ability to get a teaching job in another district," and that the district also refused to hire her for "numerous open positions for which she was qualified."
“No teacher should be retaliated against for protecting their students,” said Moore in a statement. “I am concerned for the safety of our Park City School District students. I am equally concerned that the District’s decision to punish a teacher for reporting sexual harassment of a student will discourage others from coming forward in the future.”
A Park City School District spokesperson said they had not yet been served on the lawsuit and that since it is a personal matter regarding pending litigation, it will not provide any comment.
