The Abridged version:
- Jeanine Rupert, an embattled ex-Phoebe Hearst Elementary School teacher, demanded $2.3 million in damages from Sacramento City Unified, according to a legal filing. Her lawyer said any amount won in court would ultimately be the decision of a jury.
- Rupert was removed from the school over her decision to take out a strip of classroom carpet, with the assistance of students wielding tools.
- The legal claim and potential lawsuit comes as Sacramento City Unified faces a financial crisis.
Jeanine Rupert, the Phoebe Hearst Elementary School teacher whose removal has sparked months of protest, is demanding $2.3 million in damages, including emotional distress, from Sacramento City Unified School District.
Rupert, a sixth-grade teacher of more than 20 years, has been at the center of controversy since this summer, after she pulled up a strip of dilapidated carpet from her classroom. The district called her actions vandalism and took particular issue with the involvement of students, carrying hammers and a crowbar, according to internal documents released last month.
But in a legal filing obtained by Abridged through a public records request, Rupert’s lawyer, James Jones, argued the students’ role was not “unsafe in any way.”
“Students at Phoebe Hearst use dissection kits, scissors, mow the school lawn, trim bushes with shears, dig with shovels and spades, build models with box cutters, and build picnic tables and Adirondack chairs (dozens) using power tools,” Jones wrote.
The district declined to comment on Rupert’s claims.
Taking the issue to court
Jones’ defense of Rupert was included in a document sent to the district on Oct. 24. His filing amended a previous claim that Rupert’s previous attorney, Erik Lindstrom, had sent Oct. 9.
In that original claim, Lindstrom stated, “Ms. Rupert is not seeking money.”
But now, her current representation said she has been left with no other option but to take the conflict to court — and seek monetary damages.
“We believe we did everything we could to resolve this thing through discussion,” Jones told Abridged, including asking for mediation. “But we were not met at the bargaining table.”
The deadline for Sacramento City Unified to reject or accept the claim, including the $2.3 million demand, is Dec. 8, Jones said. He would likely file an official lawsuit, he said, in early or mid-December.
$2.3 million demand amid district’s financial crisis
Rupert is making the demand for seven figures, based on similar past cases, her lawyer said.
This would cover lost wages, emotional distress damages, attorney fees and punitive damages.
The $2.3 million number is not hyperbolic based on precedent, said Jones. But, in court, he noted the decision is ultimately that of a jury.
“In a trial, anything can happen,” Jones said.
Rupert’s imminent lawsuit comes as the district faces a multimillion-dollar financial crisis, including potential insolvency and the threat of state intervention.
Last week, Sacramento City Unified trustees approved an indefinite spending freeze on expenses including staff travel, overtime and any supplies unnecessary “for operational compliance.”
The district’s fiscal situation is a concern, Jones said. “Which is exactly why we asked them to mediate.”
Savannah Kuchar is a reporter covering education. She came to Sacramento to be a part of the Abridged team and contribute to a crucial local news source.