A disabled former first grade teacher in Rhea County has accused administrators at Spring City Elementary School of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act with “harassment, bullying and retaliation,” according to a new lawsuit.
Martha McClendon, who has been diagnosed with lupus, scleroderma, fibromyalgia, depression and ADHD, earned tenure in her “dream” job, according to the civil rights lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court. School administrators at first were supportive and accommodating in providing a safe work environment until McClendon reported problems to them, and harassment allegedly began to increase rather than improve.
The suit names the Rhea County School District and the elementary school as defendants, claiming federal ADA violations, and retaliation and discrimination based on disability under Tennessee law. It seeks court costs, attorney fees, unspecified compensatory and punitive damages and either reinstatement or bonus pay.
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