The Maryland teacher accused of making “racist” comments regarding a classroom seating chart has been awarded over half a million dollars by a jury.
Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School’s Daniel Engler allegedly had told two black students he would not “be able to tell them apart” if they weren’t seated in their assigned seats.
Engler denied making “any type of racial comment” and had disputed the students’ version of events.” But Principal Shelton Mooney sent out a “communitywide letter” labeling the interaction as a “hate-bias incident.”
Engler ended up suing Mooney and the Montgomery County Public Schools Board, claiming among other things the principal did not give him an opportunity to defend himself, and that he “made up” the comment about Engler not being to distinguish between the two students.
During the trial, Mooney admitted he fabricated “a partial quote” in his community message, but claimed it “expressed the sentiments of students who witnessed an incident.”
Engler’s attorney David Wachen called the situation “a case of ‘shoot first and ask questions later.’”
