Foreign Language Department Head Kristina Lawson has filed a suit against Stamford Public Schools in Connecticut Superior Court.  According to the complaint that was filed on January 20, 2015, Lawson was demoted because she challenged the district’s alleged inaccurate counting of students eligible for the English Language Learners (ELL) program which enabled the district to obtain more government funding than it should have received.  Lawson also claims that the ELL designated funds were not used for their intended purpose.

In the complaint, Lawson alleges that she was retaliated against for bringing the district’s unlawful actions to light. Lawson claims that Superintendent Hamilton threatened her when she raised these issues, saying, “Stamford is a very tight community.  You have a long career ahead of you.  I’d really hate to see something happen to you that would make you unemployable.”

Lawson claims in her complaint that the Stamford Public Schools district was including students from Jamaica, who speak English, as well as students with “Hispanic-sounding names,” who speak fluent English, in their tally as students in need of ELL instruction.  The State then appropriated an inaccurate amount of funding for this program at Stamford High.  According to the complaint, this money was then used for other purposes, such as hiring non- ELL teachers.

Lawson claims that she was punished for exposing this.  In June 2013, she was demoted from the position of ELL Director.  Her pay, as a result, was reduced by $40,000.  She was also allegedly improperly denied other opportunities to supplement her income.

Due to the ongoing legal matter, Lawson declined to comment for this article.

There are about 2,000 students enrolled in the ELL program in Stamford Public Schools, approximately one-eighth of the district.  The program is known to produce low test scores among its students, as well as for having a wide academic achievement gap between ELL students and the rest of the Stamford High population, as reported by the Stamford Advocate.

According to Lawson’s complaint, the Federal Department of Justice began looking into Stamford’s alleged improper conduct regarding the ELL program in 2012.

The case threatens to expose the alleged improper use of funds designated for non-English speaking students.  If Lawson is successful in her lawsuit, the litigation could also expose the unlawful retaliation against an employee who tried to stop it.