Whistleblower suit filed against Chaffee Schools

A whistleblower lawsuit was filed Feb. 13 in Cape Girardeau County Circuit Court on behalf of Mary Hall of Jackson, Chaffee High School's vice principal and the district's curriculum director.

Mary Hall

Mary Hall

The action is the latest legal salvo stemming from a Nov. 15, 2021, occurrence at the high school involving a now-former Chaffee teacher and a minor female student.

The student, according to earlier reporting by the Southeast Missourian, reported to district personnel that teacher Todd Cabral touched her "butt" while the two were at his desk.

Shawn Nix

Shawn Nix

Cabral has since resigned and faced a Class A misdemeanor assault charge. Cabral entered a not guilty plea in a Feb. 8, 2022, court appearance.

Hall alleges Chaffee administration has undertaken disciplinary action against her for speaking out about the district's failure to report child abuse, plus what the court action says is the school district's "gross mismanagement" of the original incident.

A Friday, Feb. 17, news release from Hall's attorneys, Laura and J.P. Clubb, said the school district has "condoned sexual harassment, created a hostile work environment and retaliated against Hall for standing up for her rights and for those of Chaffee's students."

According to Hall's legal team, Hall is seeking court relief under the whistleblower statute in Missouri law, Section 105.055, RSMo.

The law protects public employees from being disciplined for speaking out against law violations.

An excerpt of the lawsuit provides the following summation:

"In November 2021, Mrs. Hall discovered that, while she had been off work, a teacher inappropriately touched a fifteen-year-old female child student and groped the child victim's buttocks at school. Mrs. Hall subsequently learned that none of the instructors or administrators who had received notice of the child victim's allegations had contacted the Missouri Children's Division as required by Section 210.115, RSMo. Mrs. Hall reported these law violations to law enforcement and [the school district] embarked on a campaign of disciplinary action and character assassination against Mrs. Hall to silence her and to destroy her career."

J.P. Clubb told the Southeast Missourian that Hall was placed on administrative leave and was suspended with pay Jan. 20.

Chaffee schools superintendent Shawn Nix, in a phone call Wednesday, Feb. 22, confirmed Hall remains on the district staff but declined any further comment because the matter involves personnel.

Nix became Chaffee's superintendent July 1 after having previously served in the district from 2003 through 2015.

Hall's name continues to appear on a district staff directory at chaffee.k12.mo.us.

Previous action

Hall filed a 23-page lawsuit in Scott County Court on Aug. 22 asking for a jury trial and requesting $25,000 for emotional distress plus an additional $25,000 in lost wages and benefits, plus court costs and attorneys fees.

J.P. Clubb said at the time of the original filing district personnel had made "false and defamatory accusations about (Hall's) private life, locked her out of her work accounts, suspended her, changed her job duties and generally made her professional life miserable."

A change of venue was granted in the earlier case and has been moved to Butler County Court in Poplar Bluff, with a court date tentatively scheduled for the week of Monday, Jan. 29.

In 2019, Hall was named a regional Teacher of the Year by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.