By Stephen D. Riley
AFRO Staff Writer
Joyce V. Dunston toiled in the classrooms of Baltimore City Public Schools for 37 years, only to be ousted after being assaulted and reporting cheating on school tests. (Courtesy Photo)
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(October 29, 2009) - A teacher's career is often an arduous journey. And the only true compensation they may ever receive is witnessing the success of their students.
Joyce V. Dunston toiled in the classrooms of Baltimore City Public Schools for 37 years, only to be ousted after being assaulted and reporting cheating on school tests.
“That was the winding up [and] the end of my career for Baltimore City Public Schools,” she told the AFRO. “After 37 years and 11 months, I think you may draw the conclusion that I obviously must like children…. This was not a job, this was my career.”
In response to her termination, Dunston, a former teacher at both Eutaw Marshburn and Rognel Heights elementary schools, filed and recently won a lawsuit against the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners on counts of constructive discharge and breach of contract.
Dunston received compensation in the amounts of $183,000 for constructive discharge while working at Eutaw Marshburn and $110,000 for breach of contract while at Rognel Heights. Dunston was awarded a total of $293,000 but a financial cap on cases of constructive discharge reduced her payout to $210,000.
During her stint at Eutaw Marshburn, Dunston was assaulted twice by a 13-year-old, fifth-grade student, a situation she felt was mishandled by the school. The student was reinstated, she said. Then, the principal reassigned Dunston to another grade over the summer without notification and did not give her training materials. He then fired her because she couldn’t perform those duties, a violation of union guidelines.
When she joined the faculty at Rognel Heights thereafter, Dunston became aware of testing irregularities, which she reported to the Maryland State Department of Education. Upon learning of Dunston’s report, the school’s principal fired her, she said.
Though she expected to be fired for blowing the whistle, Dunston felt compelled to speak out.
“My certification means the same as my driver’s license. I wanted the world to know that these were principals that were supposed to be leaders and yet, they did not do a good job,” she said. And there are many more teachers who feel the same.
"There are many teachers who would like to speak up, who would like to tell but they're scared to tell,” Dunston said. “They're scared to tell because of what happened to me, the retaliation. They fear for their job—everybody needs a job at this point."
With a $210,000 award, Dunston said she recognizes the money may stand out to some, but to her, the suit was about more than a payout. “It wasn’t about money,” Dunston said. “We can’t teach our children to be honest and be dishonest administering a test. There’s no such thing as a little cheating…cheating is cheating. Whether it’s preparing the materials, whether it’s whispering an answer, whether it’s tapping on a desk to tell a child that the answer is incorrect, cheating is cheating. So if we want our kids to be productive citizens, we certainly don’t show them negative behavior.”
Although Dunston won her case, things are far from over. The school board is trying to appeal the decision and reclaim the money – a decision Dunston doesn’t understand since the jury ruled that it had found a preponderance of evidence on both counts.
The AFRO sought comment from BCPS, but schools spokeswoman Edie House Foster said they do not comment on litigation.
In the meantime, Dunston, at 62 years old, said he is content and knows she was fortunate to enjoy such a long tenure in a field she loved. While the past two incidents will definitely leave a nasty blemish on her, Dunston said she has no regrets for standing up for what she believes in.
“My job is to prepare children for life….What kind of role model [would I have been]? “