Marie Feagins, fired last month as superintendent of Memphis-Shelby County (Tennessee) Schools, has sued the school board over her dismissal.
The Memphis Commercial Appeal reports that the board is accused in the lawsuit of violating the Tennessee Open Meetings Act when it voted to fire Feagins.
The suit also contends that months before the board's intention were made public, interim Superintendent Roderick Richmond was aware of the firing and that he would be put in the leadership role.
The school board voted 6-3 in January to oust Feagins less than 10 months into her tenure. The panel approved a resolution that cited allegations of professional misconduct and poor leadership. Prior to coming to Memphis, Feagins was a district administrator in Detroit.
Feagins contends that the board's plan to fire her started in August when she filed
for an order of protection against Dow McVean, a Peer Power Foundation board member. On Aug. 8, Feagins was leaving the Greater Memphis Chamber Chairman's Circle when McVean allegedly approached her and yelled expletives at her regarding a tutoring contract not being renewed.
Feagins said after she filed for the order of protection, she received a call from Memphis City Councilman JB Smiley Jr., a member of the superintendent's transition team;
Smiley allegedly said his "funders" wanted to get rid of Feagins, according to court
documents.
The lawsuit says multiple board members, past and present, began to meet in private to discuss firing Feagins.
Throughout the next few months, leading up to the Jan. 21 meeting when Feagins was fired, the school board met and discussed the firing, according to court documents.
Feagins' suit asks for the court to void the board vote that terminated her and return her to the superintendent's position.
