Wednesday, June 23, 1999
Conroys awarded $260,000 from CISD, Panola College
By Sherry Koonce
A former Carthage ISD student and her family have received $260,000 in total payments from CISD and Panola College after all parties involved agreed to settle two lawsuits out of court.
Carthage ISD'S portion of the settlement was $80,000 while the college paid out $180,000.
The Student, Janet Coughlin, along with her mother and step-father, Nora K. and Steve Conroy, and the two schools reached the settlement agreements in recent months. The agreements were formerly approved in May and June at separate board of trustee meetings.
Filed against the schools in state and federal courts, both suits alleged a conspiracy had been committed in retaliation for the student's parents filing a complaint with the Texas Education Association in March 1995.
Their complaint alleged Janet Coughlin, who had recently moved to Carthage from a Houston-area school in 1994, had been the victim of unfair practices at CISD.
Though originally placed in honors classes, her grades began to decline, prompting the attention of her parents, who began to question school authorities about their daughters' scholastic performance.
The Conroys have since alleged their daughter's reputation was injured when one of her teachers, Pat Smith, attributed with hearing of other students, that Janet's falling grades were the results of drug abuse.
Additionally, the Conroys have alleged their calculations of their daughter's grades did not match the grades given her by the school. They also alleged repeated efforts to have Carthage High School Principal Stuart Bird explain the school's grading system was not acted upon and, in fact, ignored.
After repeated attempts to settle the matter, the Conroys filed a complaint with the TEA, thus spawning what has ended in payment of more than a quarter of a million dollars from the two schools.
In Panola College's case, $60,000 of the $180,000 payment had to be paid directly from school funds since the college's insurance company charged them with two separate deductibles — one for each suit filed. The suits were filed in separate years after the school's deductible had went up.
One deductible of $25,000 is due to cover a suit by Nora Conroy. A $35,000 deductible applies to a later suit brought by Steve Conroy.
Since CISD had previously met their deductible, the schools insurance carrier paid the entire $80,000 settle payment in the case.
The college's $180,000 settlement payment was in response to the two suits filed by the Conroys following their TEA complaint.
Filed in May 1996, the first, a whistleblower suit filed in Travis County district court, named the college, Bill Edmonson college president, and Betsy Wheat, Dean of Affairs, as plaintiffs.
The second suit filed in Lufkin federal court against the college and several of its administrators as well as CISD and its administrators, charges the Conroys civil rights were violated.
Filed March 20th 1998, in the Lufkin's U.S. District Court Eastern Division, the second suit included Steve Conroy along with his wife as plaintiffs. Both Conroys had been employed at the college on a contract basis prior to the TEA filing. Neither were renewed contracts and according to the Conroys' allegations, the college and its employees engaged in a conspiracy with the high school to violate their civil rights after the TEA complaint was filed.
Both schools have denied wrongdoing and in the college's case, have stated Nora Conroys contract with the school was not renewed because of her job performance and not because of the TEA complaint.
In a prepared statement delivered earlier to The Panola Watchman, the college denied validity of allegations in the suit, but said it relied on advice of its attorney in making the settlement.
"The allegations contained in the lawsuits filed by Mrs. Conroy against Panola College have never been proven and we continue to deny those allegations," Edmonson stated.
"The board of trustees of Panola College is eager to refocus its attention on the present work at hand and to plan for the future of Panola College."
CHS authorities have also denied wrongdoing in connection with the case.
The Conroys attorney, Charles Nichols, of Palestine, differed in his opinion of the reasons prompting the out-of-court settlement.
"Clearly they would not have made a payment of a quarter of a million if there were not some real strong evidence against both schools. Their actions were a clear violation of the Conroys First Amendment right of free speech. They were doing what parents would do to try and protect their daughter whom they felt was not getting fair treatment at her high school," said Nichols.
Though Nichols stated his belief that the Conroys suit contained strong evidence of a conspiracy, he noted his clients desire to settle the matter and get it behind them.
Also, he said it would be hard to prove damages since Nora Conroy had immediately gone to work at another district performing basically the same duties. She has remained at that job at present.
Nichols said he was glad his clients have not agreed to a non-disclosure stipulation asked for by both the high school and college.
"It just rubbed me the wrong way when a taxpaying entity asked that taxpayers not be privy to any sort of settlement paid out from a law suit filed against them," said Nichols.
At present, Panola College has indicated plans to try and recoup part of the deductible amount charged by the insurance company.
"We are negotiating with our insurance company over the additional $10,000, since we believe these suits and this settlement are all one and the same. We may recover that amount later," Panola College Board President William Goolsby said.
The settlement, said Nichols, should dispose of both cases with no further action pending.
"I think the settlement puts the issues at rest. It lets Mrs. Conroy go on with her life and takes her out of the sea of uncertainty. The entire past five years have been very traumatic for the Conroy Family, but it is something they felt strongly about pursuing," Nichols stated.