Fmr. Farmington Coach May Sue For Wrongful Termination
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A former Minnesota high school coach is considering a wrongful termination lawsuit after she was fired.
Four years ago, Lynn Bauman started the Farmington Community Education youth gymnastics program called Twist-N-Tumble.
After she left to start her own gym in September, Farmington Gymnastics Center, she was fired from her job as the Farmington High School gymnastics coach.
"It does feel like revenge," Bauman said. "I feel like they ripped my heart out."
Bauman has been Farmington's high school gymnastics coach for the last nine years, and was a three-time state champ as a Farmington high schooler herself.
Quite simply, Farmington gymnastics has been her life.
"I've always wanted to own my own gym, from I don't even know how old I was," she said. "I can't wrap my brain around it, other than they're punishing me for chasing a dream. And I don't think it's fair."
The Farmington school board sent Bauman a letter listing the reasons, saying she stole a cabinet, defaced and removed marketing materials and demanded to be given school property -- accusations Bauman refutes.
She says not only did she never got the chance to respond before the school board voted her out, but the accusations are exaggerated or outright untrue.
"It was wrongful termination," she said. "I know in my heart I did not do anything to deserve this."
The real reason she believes she was fired? Bauman says 75-80 percent of the kids went with her to the new gym – a significant loss in registration revenue for the community education program.
"I think somebody's angry that I went off and opened my own gym," she said.
On Monday, the Farmington school board voted 5-1 to approve Bauman's dismissal.
Superintendent Jay Haugen said he couldn't talk about the decision to fire Bauman, citing privacy laws, but said he wishes her well.