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Contact: Rene Abadie
Date: 7/28/05
 
SOUTHEASTERN FILES RESPONSE TO SUIT BY STUDENT TEACHER
       HAMMOND – A suit filed in federal court by a student teacher against Southeastern Louisiana University and other parties is “groundless and without merit,” university officials said in a statement July 28.
       Attorneys for Southeastern filed a response to the suit in which Cynthia Thompson alleges that Southeastern gave her a failing grade because she reported prayer activities at the Ponchatoula elementary school where she was assigned as a student teacher. The suit was filed on her behalf by the ACLU of Louisiana.
       “The plaintiff and the ACLU have turned what should be an academic matter into a federal legal issue and in doing so have unjustly called into question the academic integrity of one of the state’s largest and most reputable teacher preparation programs,” said university President Randy Moffett in a written statement. 
       Thompson, a senior education major, was performing her required student teaching last spring at D.C. Reeves Elementary School in Ponchatoula. Her suit alleges that she was progressing satisfactorily through the program, had been given satisfactory evaluations of her performance, then received a failing grade for reporting prayer activities at the school.  
       “We deny that Ms. Thompson received satisfactory evaluations,” Moffett said. “In fact, the plaintiff had numerous deficiencies that were documented throughout her student teaching assignment, in written evaluations and other communications with her. She was told that she was not ready for a full-time classroom assignment, that she needed to develop additional expertise in classroom behavior management, class preparation and presentation, and improvement of her grammar. In addition, Ms. Thompson herself, both verbally and in writing, acknowledged that she was having problems with the student teaching assignment.”
       Thompson contends in her suit that when she met with her university faculty supervisor in February she expressed her concerns about prayer activities and that her faculty supervisor reacted by grabbing her hands and praying for her. 
       Moffett said the university denies that Thompson called attention to prayer activities she claims to have observed at the school. “This meeting focused solely on the plaintiff’s performance as a student teacher and her apparent lack of progress,” he said. “The university faculty supervisor adamantly denies that she prayed with her.”
       The university statement also addressed the issue of Thompson retaining the supervising teacher’s journal – the so-called “75-cent notebook” – and her refusal to return it to the university in accordance with student teaching guidelines.
       The journal, he said, is a component of the evaluation process that consists of entries by the student and the supervising staff that charts the performance of the student throughout the semester. “Southeastern policy requires that the journal be retained by the university in instances where there are questions concerning a student’s performance. The journal is used in planning the student teacher’s remediation and any subsequent student teaching assignment.”
       “Obviously there are significant discrepancies between the plaintiff’s suit and the facts determined by the university’s investigation,” Moffett added. “Southeastern makes every attempt to comply with all applicable federal and state laws regarding school activities and has not been a party to any activities that may run counter to these laws. It is unfortunate that taxpayer dollars are being spent on legal services to defend a purely academic issue. Southeastern will not sacrifice its academic standards and expectations, even in the face of litigation. The State of Louisiana, our school systems and our children and their parents should expect nothing less.”
Southeastern Louisiana University today (July 28)issued the following statement regarding the suit filed by student teacher Cynthia Thompson in which she alleges the university unjustly failed her in her student teaching assignment. 

PRESIDENT RANDY MOFFETT:
Attorneys for Southeastern Louisiana University have filed in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District an answer to a suit filed by Southeastern student Cynthia Thompson.  The lawsuit, filed in conjunction with the ACLU, alleges that the university retaliated against Thompson for reporting prayer activities in the school where she was performing her student teaching assignment. This action, she alleges, resulted in her not being allowed to graduate.
       In preparation for filing our answer, the university has investigated this matter thoroughly.  Based on the investigation, the university denies any wrongdoing on the part of its personnel and considers this suit groundless and without merit.  The plaintiff and the ACLU have turned what should be an academic matter—the determination of a student’s grade--into a federal legal issue and in doing so have unjustly called into question the academic integrity of one of the state’s largest and most reputable teacher preparation programs.
       Our complete response answers each allegation point-by-point. We do, however, want to emphasize certain specific points.

Allegation:  The plaintiff claims that she did everything she was supposed to do to complete her student teaching assignment.
Response:  The student left her student teaching assignment before the semester was over and therefore did not complete the required 180 hours of classroom work needed.  More importantly, she did not demonstrate mastery of the necessary skills to earn a passing grade.

Allegation:  The plaintiff contends that on February 23, 2005, she met with her university faculty supervisor and, when she expressed concern about prayer activities at the school, the faculty supervisor took her hand and began praying for her.
Response:  We deny that the plaintiff, at this meeting, discussed prayer activities she claims to have observed at the school. The meeting focused solely on the plaintiff’s performance as a student teacher and her apparent lack of progress. The university faculty supervisor adamantly denies that she prayed with the student.  The plaintiff did not report alleged prayer activities until April 25, after being informed that she should consider withdrawing from student teaching due to her poor performance.

Allegation:  The plaintiff contends that she was progressing successfully in the program and that she had received satisfactory evaluations, but that at a meeting on April 15 she was informed she was not demonstrating the techniques of an effective educator.
Response:  We deny that Ms. Thompson had received satisfactory evaluations. In fact, the plaintiff had numerous deficiencies that were documented throughout her student teaching assignment in the supervising teacher’s journal, in written evaluations, and other communications with her. In this particular meeting, she was told that she was not ready for a full-time classroom assignment, that she needed to develop additional expertise in classroom behavior management, class preparation and presentation, and improvement of her grammar. In addition, Ms. Thompson herself, both verbally and in writing, acknowledged that she was having problems with the student teaching assignment.

Allegation:  The plaintiff contends that the supervising teacher’s journal – the so-called “75-cent notebook” – is her property and she is within her rights to retain it.
Response:  The supervising teacher’s journal, which consists of entries by the student and the supervising staff that charts the performance of the student throughout the semester, is a component of student teacher evaluation. Southeastern policy requires that the journal be retained by the university whenever there are questions concerning a student’s performance. The journal is used in planning the student remediation and any subsequent student teaching assignment. 

Conclusion:
Obviously there are significant discrepancies between the plaintiff’s suit and the facts determined through the university’s investigation. Southeastern makes every attempt to comply with all applicable federal and state laws regarding school activities and has not been a party to any activities that may run counter to these laws. It is unfortunate that taxpayer dollars are being spent on legal services to defend a purely academic issue. Southeastern will not sacrifice its academic standards and expectations, even in the face of litigation. The State of Louisiana, our school systems, our children and their parents should expect nothing less.