When William Kolmel sued the New York City Department of Education (DOE), after his employment as a high school social studies teacher was terminated, the New York County Supreme Court refused to rescind DOE's determination because Kolmel had received some unsatisfactory ratings during the course of his probation.
On appeal, the Appellate Division, First Department, thought there had been some problems with the review process--particularly since the principal who gave the unsatisfactory evaluation hadn't personally observed Kolmel during the final two years of the review period.
Believing the "integrity and fairness" of the evaluation had been compromised, the AD1 reversed and ordered the DOE to complete a proper assessment.
Was that a teaching moment?
To view a copy of the Appellate Division's decision, please use this link: Matter of Kolmel v. City of New York