GRAND LEDGE, Mich. — Former superintendent of Grand Ledge Public Schools, Brian Metcalf, has been awarded close to $880,000 after he was fired in 2020 surrounding a social media controversy.
In May 2020, Dr. Metcalf caused a stir when he posted on his Facebook page a response to the 2020 killing of George Floyd.
“It all starts with being a law abiding citizen - had he not paid with counterfeit money, had he not resisted, had he not been under the influence -- then there would be no contact with officers; that does not excuse the officer; it just eliminates the conflict to begin with!! It starts with being a good citizen," he wrote.
Former Michigan Supreme Court Justice Robert Young Jr. wrote a 58-page decision in the case.
"The board was the final authority, acting under color of state law, when it discharged Dr. Metcalf," the opinion said. "But it did not provide him with due process before he was terminated, and it did not provide him with an impartial decision maker at his 'due process' hearing."
Metcalf's lawyer, Eric Delaporte, says the former superintendent feels vindicated yet saddened considering his professional career will be forever changed claiming that he has been blackballed from education.
"And all that because he made a mistake. Or at least he was perceived as making a mistake," Delaporte said. "What he did was try to provide another tool to avoid something like what happened to George Floyd, and he phrased it poorly, in retrospect, not purposely, but I think he recognizes and would love to go back and rephrase it."
Metcalf is to receive a $802,872 contract payout and $75,000 in compensation for damages.
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