Watch CBS News

New Details Emerge About FWISD Superintendent's Last Days

FORT WORTH (CBS 11 NEWS) – In the days before former Fort Worth ISD Superintendent Walter Dansby submitted his resignation, a jury found the school district guilty of violating the Texas Whistleblower Act, according to a press release from a Dallas law firm.

The law firm, Neave & Scott, represented former FWISD Assistant Principal Joseph Palazzolo, who claimed he was demoted, transferred and fired in 2010, after he reported attendance fraud, discrimination, and inappropriate sexual relations in the district.

A jury trial was held in Wise County in late March 2014, at the end of which the 12-member jury found in favor of Palazzolo, according to the statement. On May 29, the court signed a final judgment against FWISD, ordering the district to pay Palazzolo more than $2.7 million.

The law firm will hold a news conference on Thursday to further discuss the case, as well as a separate law suit filed against Dansby, which is still pending. The suit against Dansby claims he insisted microphones be used in the closed session of a district board meeting, where statements against Palazzolo were recorded and released online.

In a move that surprised many parents and even some school board trustees, Dansby submitted his resignation to the FWISD School Board at its June 2 meeting.  His last day as Superintendent was June 9.  Conditions of his resignation will allow him to stay employed with the district as a District Ambassador for Public Relations until Jan 31, 2015.  Dansby will collect nearly $900,000 from the district until that time.

(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Latest News:

Top Trending:

 

 

 

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.