Traverse City Area Public Schools did not wrongfully discharge a teacher after a conflict over misconduct. That’s after a Thursday decision from the Michigan Court of Appeals.
The incident prompting the lawsuit happened in 2020, when Central High School teacher Erin Kosch was teaching class online because of the pandemic.
A viral video showed Kosch disparaging a student and the school district opened an investigation into her alleged misconduct.
Kosch was suspended with pay and resigned soon after. But later, she claimed she was pressured by the district to resign. She then sued TCAPS, saying the district misled her and didn't give her a fair legal process.
“This woman was a great teacher,” said Kosch’s attorney Mandel Allweil, asking the Court of Appeals to reverse that decision earlier this summer. “She had a very bad result on a thing that was intended to be private, and we believe the case should be reversed.”
But on Thursday, the Michigan Court of Appeals disagreed, and affirmed a lower court’s decision siding with the school district. It said the right protocols were followed and TCAPS did not force her resignation.
Kosch’s attorney did not immediately respond to request for comment and it’s unclear whether she’ll appeal the case to the Michigan Supreme Court.
