BEDFORD— Former North Lawrence School Superintendent Dr. Ty Mungle has filed a lawsuit against North Lawrence Community School Corporation, the North Lawrence Community School Board, and School Board President Dr. Wendy Miller.
The suit was filed on Friday, April 12th, in Lawrence County Circuit Court. The lawsuit claims the school corporation committed a breach of contract, defamation, blacklisting, and defamation on the part of the NLCS school board. The law firm Mallor Grodner LLP is representing Dr. Mungle. The law firm is seeking a jury trial and damages.
Bedford Attorney David Smith represents Dr. Wendy Miller, and North Lawrence Community Schools have not responded to the lawsuit.
On January 12, 2023, the school board and Dr. Mungle entered into a separation agreement, ending Dr. Mungle’s contract. On January 11, 2023, during a public school board meeting, a vote was taken to approve the separation agreement. Dr. Miller stated that there was a trust issue with Dr. Mungle, and he was “like cancer and needed to be removed immediately.”
However, the separation agreement noted that Dr. Mungle and NLCS would not “criticize, denigrate, or disparage each other.”
His attorney says board members made numerous false allegations on social media that he committed a crime while he served as superintendent and was unfit to be a public school official.
The lawsuit revealed the following information.
In the Spring of 2023, Dr. Mungle applied for the open Superintendent position of the Bloomfield School District.
Despite having the requisite qualifications and multiple letters of recommendation, Dr. Mungle was not asked to interview for this position.
During an NLCS public board meeting on May 11, 2023, Board Member Scott King stated that 119 days ago, the Board terminated the previous superintendent’s contract, which showed the community the Board was serious about correcting as much of the damage as possible. He went on to say that the recent audit results proved that termination was the right decision.
During the same meeting, Dr. Miller said she agreed with Board Member Scott King that the decision to terminate Dr. Mungle was correct and that the prior leadership had targeted and mistreated Oolitic Middle School.
Board Member Adam Parsley stated that it is far easier to fire the superintendent than to fix the problems with NLCS.
On May 11, 2023, Dr. Miller posted to her personal School Board Facebook page: “OMS was systematically targeted to fail. What was for decades a thriving middle school was put in the crosshairs. Despite the former board voting twice to keep OMS open, it was abandoned with intent. This was a failure in leadership. Scott King mentioned tonight that removing the former superintendent was the right thing to do. He is 100% correct, in my opinion.”
Dr. Miller knew of the mutual non-disparagement provision in the Separation Agreement and willfully and wantonly engaged in communication violating the Separation Agreement.
A new Superintendent for the Bloomfield School District was approved on March 30, 2023.
In May 2023, Dr. Mungle applied for the open Superintendent position of the New Albany-Floyd County School Corporation.
Dr. Mungle interviewed for the position but did not receive an offer.
A new Superintendent for the New Albany-Floyd County School Corporation was approved on June 12, 2023.
Dr. Mungle was unable to secure an alternative Superintendent position.
On July 26, 2023, Dr. Mungle accepted the Administrator and Assistant Director of Adult Education position at the Monroe County Community School Corporation (“MCCSC”).
This position pays less than the positions Dr. Mungle interviewed for and previously held with Defendant NLCS.
In August 2023, Dr. Mungle notified the Superintendent of MCCSC, Dr. Jeff Hauswald, that current MCCSC board members had contacted Dr. Hauswald, concerned with MCCSC’s employment of Dr. Mungle.
Dr. Hauswald learned that Defendant Dr. Miller contacted several MCCSC board members, including but not limited to Erin Wyatt, Erin Cooperman, and April Hennessey, and said that Dr. Mungle was dishonest and untrustworthy and that charges may be filed against him based on his position as the former NLCS Superintendent.
The lawsuit claims Dr. Miller’s conduct in affirmatively contacting MCCSC board members to sabotage Dr. Mungle’s employment was malicious.
Upon information and belief, NLCS’ School Board members also contacted the School Boards of Bloomfield and New Albany-Floyd School Districts and made similar statements.
Between August 21 through August 30, 2023, Dr. Mungle was admitted to the hospital and ultimately diagnosed with bleeding stomach ulcers and pneumonia.
The lawsuit claims Dr. Mungle’s professional reputation and ability to secure comparable alternative employment has been damaged as a direct result of Dr. Miller’s communications, in both her individual and official capacity as the President of the NLCS Board, that falsely implied that Dr. Mungle committed a crime and engaged in conduct unbefitting to his profession.
Dr. Mungle has suffered injuries and damages as a result of Defendants’ actions, including but not limited to lost wages and benefits, compensatory damages, and emotional distress damages, which manifested itself in physical conditions causing hospitalization.
The lawsuit claims the above incidents are a direct and foreseeable consequence of the school board’s actions. Dr. Mungle has sustained damages in an amount to be presented at trial, including but not limited to costs and attorneys’ fees in enforcing and securing his rights under the agreement and other damages available under the law.
