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ECJC
claims Robinson's
firing handled .properly,.b.
The lines
of
argument
between East Central Junior
College and former basket–
ball coach Herman Robinson•
were more sharply defined
last week when the college
filed its answer to Robinson's
Chancery Court suit.
Robinson was ftred from
his
job at the Decatur based
school last spring and has
since brought suit against
college President Charles V.
Wright and the Board of
Trustees for reinstatement,
claiming that his release was
not handled according to the
published guidelines and po–
licies of the school.
Robinson is asking the
court to set aside his dismis–
sal and is also seeking
S27,291.52 in damages.
In its answer, the Junior
College claims that Robin–
son's dismissal was handled
properly and that he was
given proper notification at
every stage of the proceed–
ings.
Robinson, who bas been at
ECJC for seven years, earlier
claimed that he ftrst heard a
rumor
of
his dismissal and
met with Dr. Wright on
March 28, at which time
Wright indicated he knew
.
..._.
nothing about the coach
being released.
The fifty-one year old
Chunky native claims that he
was notified in a telephone
conversation with Wright on
April 13 that his contract
would not be renewed by the
Board of Trustees and re–
ceived written notification of
his termination on May 13.
Robinson's appeal to the
court is based primarily on a
booklet entitled ''East Cen–
tral Junior College Policy and
Procedure Manual.'' He says
the Board violated its own
rules by not notifying him in
writing of his dismissal by
March 15, as the manual
stipulates. He says the seven
week delay in receiving
notice from the school great–
ly decreased his chances of
finding another teaching job
for the 1982-83 school year.
In
its answer, the college
acknowledged the existence
of the 'Policy and Procedure
Manual,'' and admitted that
it had been distributed to
faculty employees. However,
school officials claim that the
manual was not a part of the
written contract with a facul–
ty
member, thereby not
malting
it
mandatory that a
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•
l..
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,
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.:..,:-
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dismissed teacher be notified
on or before March IS.
East Central's suit further
states that the manual was
never adopted by the ECJC
Board of Trustees and claim
that the booklet is not "a
recognized. accepted, adop–
ted and published statement
of policies, procedures, re–
sponsibilities, and obliga–
tions."
The college administration
also denies, according to the
suit in the Cha_ncery Clerk's
office, that the "Faculty
Handbook,'' which was dis–
tributed to teachers and
contained a section entitled
'Due Process' was ever a
part of the college's contract
with its employees.
The college also bases part
of
its arguments in defense
of Robinson's suit on a
phrase in the one page
contract that each faculty
member signs.
It
cites a line
in paragraph two which says:
"said employee unreserved–
ly agrees to be loyal to the
policies of the College as
outlined from time to rime by
the president. .. ''
The college counter-claim
stipulates that
~he
phrase
"time to time" means "that
J"''"•
•v
•11u
aotae oy any
deviations from said pub–
lished policies and proce–
dures as contained in said
manual and handbook."
The college claims that
on March 4, Dr. Wright
announced at a faculty meet–
ing that recommc;ndations
for hiring in the 1982-83
school year would not be
ready by March 15 and this
announcement amounted to
a policy change for any other
published announcements
concerning the March 15
date.
Robinson, who could not
be reached in Decatur, has
reportedly taken a job as
basketball coach and assis–
tant principal at Good Hope
High School
in
Lowndes
County. In his seven years as
men's basketball coach at
East Central he compiled a
SS-81 record and had a 5 and
17 season in 1981 -82.
In his ftling with the court,
Robinson is asking for
his
519,768 salary, plus S840 he
would have made as a
dormitory supervisor,
a
S2.100
housin~~t
frin_ge benefit
and a 54,583 insurance bene–
fit which he says was wrong–
fully denied him.
The case is a part
of
the
court docket which will pro–
bably be called up for its first
courtroom
airing
when
Chancery Court opens in
Newton County September
20 in Decatur.