Maryland Teacher Claims In Lawsuit He Was Falsely Branded 'racist’ Over Seating Chart Dispute

A Maryland precocious schoolhouse coach is taking ineligible action, claiming he was accused of being a racist aft a schoolroom conflict complete seating assignments was mishandled by nan schoolhouse administration.

Dan Engler, a erstwhile wellness and English coach and caput coach of nan rowing squad astatine Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School (B-CC) successful Montgomery County, revenge a suit against Principal Shelton L. Mooney and nan Montgomery County Public School Board, accusing them of defamation and violating schoolhouse argumentation successful their handling of a February 2023 schoolroom incident.

According to nan complaint, 2 students successful Engler's first-period wellness people asked to beryllium adjacent to their friends alternatively of successful their assigned seats. Engler, citing nan value of utilizing a seating floor plan to study student names and debar confusion, asked nan students — who are Black — to return to their assigned seats. The students refused and remained wherever they were.

Later that day, nan students reported nan relationship to nan adjunct principal, alleging Engler told them he would not beryllium capable to show them isolated from different students, believing this to beryllium a group comment. 

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Dan Engler, a MCPS coach successful Maryland, is suing nan schoolhouse committee and a precocious schoolhouse main alleging they defamed his characteristic aft a charged schoolroom incident. (Getty Images/Dan and Krista Engler)

"Part of nan misunderstanding whitethorn person stemmed from an incident successful Engler's English people nan erstwhile spring," his lawyer wrote successful nan guidance to nan defendants' mobility for summary judgment. The filing explained that Engler had publication a quote from Muhammad Ali containing a group slur, which offended immoderate students. Engler apologized, and an investigation wished it was not a "hate bias incident." The students progressive successful nan wellness people had reportedly heard astir nan English people incident and had antecedently asked not to beryllium placed successful Engler’s class, believing him to beryllium racist.

Following nan students’ report, Principal Mooney was instructed by his superiors to travel nan "hate bias incident" protocol. The adjacent day, he informed Engler that he would beryllium placed connected paid administrative time off for 1 time while nan incident was nether investigation.

Two days aft nan incident, Mooney sent a community-wide email to parents, teachers, unit and students reporting that a "hate bias incident" had occurred astatine nan school.

The connection said that "several African American students" were told by a coach that he was "unable to separate them from different African American students" successful nan schoolroom and that nan Montgomery County Police Department had been notified arsenic an soul investigation was ongoing.

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A notebook and pencil connected a table successful a schoolhouse classroom (iStock)

"Let maine beryllium clear, favoritism of immoderate benignant must not beryllium tolerated," Mooney wrote earlier citing nan schoolhouse argumentation against "insensitivity, disrespect, bias, verbal abuse, harassment, bullying, beingness unit aliases forbidden favoritism toward immoderate person."

Although Engler was not named successful nan email, he said he was quickly identified by students, parents and colleagues. He maintains that he did not make nan connection attributed to him successful nan missive and he "did not do thing that could reasonably beryllium classified arsenic a ‘hate bias incident.’"

The title alleges that Engler had his "reputation destroyed by nan malicious acts of B-CC's Principal, Defendant Shelton L. Mooney, who falsely accused Engler of racism successful a thoughtless, half-baked community-wide email."

The suit further claims that Mooney and nan schoolhouse committee violated MCPS policies and procedures by sending nan community-wide email earlier an investigation was completed and that they refused to rumor a retraction aliases apology.

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Daniel Engler's title accuses Mooney of not pursuing territory guidelines connected reporting ‘hate bias’ incidents earlier sending a community-wide email. (REUTERS)

When Engler returned to activity nan pursuing week, Mooney allegedly "refused to talk nan matter" pinch Engler. Upon returning to his classroom, Engler said he was "upset" to find MCPS and B-CC unit holding a "restorative justice" circle successful his schoolroom that they excluded him from joining.

Engler told Fox News Digital that nan acquisition took a dense toll connected his intelligence health. The aforesaid day, he went connected disablement time off for a twelvemonth and a half earlier resuming school astatine different schoolhouse successful nan district.

"I emotion teaching. I emotion coaching," he said. "And I really attraction a awesome woody astir nan relationships I person pinch those kids and helping them study really to go adults successful nan champion measurement possible. To suffer nan assurance of nan kids, nan spot of nan kids, based connected what nan kids' activity had to opportunity astir me, was devastating. It was personality stealing."

According to nan complaint, Engler yet faced nary disciplinary action and nan defendants' investigation allegedly grounded to find capable grounds that nan schoolroom incident constituted a "hate bias incident."

"However, nan harm to Engler had already been done. Mooney’s malicious email falsely branded Engler a racist, destroying his estimation successful nan B-CC community, causing him heavy affectional distress, making it intolerable to proceed school astatine B-CC, and causing nan nonaccomplishment of his position arsenic Head Coach of nan B-CC Rowing Team," it continued.

Engler criticized nan school’s handling of nan incident arsenic "a tremendous opportunity for kindness signaling."

"It really was, and I'm paying nan price," he told Fox News Digital. Engler said his estimation has been damaged, and nan ineligible conflict has costs his family complete $300,000.

After attempting to resoluteness nan conflict done administrative proceedings, Engler revenge a suit successful Montgomery County Circuit Court successful August 2023. 

Engler's lawsuit proceeded to proceedings connected Monday.

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Fox News Digital reached retired aggregate times to nan lawyers for nan defendants connected nan allegations and did not person a response. The MCPS Board of Education said it was incapable to remark connected pending litigation. Mooney did not return a petition for comment.