A Scottish teacher wins wrongful dismissal case against his former employer, the High School of Dundee, in the United Kingdom (UK).
The said high school teacher from Scotland is being compensated with a settlement order of sixty thousand pounds (£60,000) after being coerced into resigning for reproaching a student over late-submission of assignment work.
High School of Dundee, otherwise known for being one of the oldest and most renowned schools from the UK, has been in the news lately for pushing out a school teacher, Daniel Goodey after he turned down a statement of apology to a student who could not submit her assignment on time. Moreover, he was asked to payout thirteen thousand six hundred and fifty pounds (£13,650) per year.
It was later brought forward by an employment board that the school’s chief, John Halliday, allegedly attempted to threaten and intimidate Goodey for his “harsh criticism.”
What worked against the high school teacher?
A gesture that can be easily interpreted as being a collective expression of disapproval, Goodey was pressurized to offer resignation for sighing in exasperation and asking the student to work with her classmate and get the work done.
As the child walked away, showing signs of temperament, her mother, however, decided not to let it slide.
Soon after, the parent took the teacher to the task and accused him of unruly behavior towards the child. She demanded him removed from his post and pulled her child out of his class.
As a matter of course, the case necessitated an investigation from the school authorities, following which, the long-serving teacher felt he was not left with much choice but to offer his resignation. However, as the reaction turned to infuriation, the teacher made it a point to make his displeasure evident in his resignation letter.
The hyperbolized matter will have significant implications on the school and the way it was operated. By bludgeoning teachers into offering apologies to students over trivial things will only leave the staff agitated and perturbed, he expresses in his letter.
The court rules against the Scottish school
As the matter was taken to question, the verdict came as a breath of fresh air for the accused teacher as Judge McFatridge called out the dismissal as being one-sided and unfair.
The judge furthered his declaration stating that Goodey was found to be working in the interests of the student and the school, and his act constituted his day-to-day conduct of work. Quite simply, he was oppressed by the school officials, and the board will be required to compensate for the defamation of his character.
Meanwhile, the school officials expressed disapprobation over the ruling and confirmed on taking subsequent legal advice in the matter.
