Cleburne ISD settles lawsuit with Pam Lea

May 02--Two years after she resigned, former Cleburne ISD Athletic Director Pam Lea is officially done with the district.

The CISD board unanimously voted to approve a settlement for an undisclosed amount during a special called meeting on Tuesday night. The settlement will be funded by the Texas Association of School Boards Risk Management Fund.

CISD Chief Financial Officer David Johnson said the TASB Risk Management Fund is the insurer of the district and is not part of the district.

"The district had a deductible associated with this event, which was paid in a prior fiscal year; at this point, there is no further financial responsibility of the district," Johnson said.

CISD Communications Director Lisa Magers said after the meeting that the settlement is in the best interest of the district and taxpayers.

"The district's insurance carrier agreed to the settlement, in consideration of the continuing costs of litigation, and the burden placed upon district personnel in preparing for trial. The settlement will be covered by the district's insurance provider."

Magers said this is a financial decision, based on the district's fiduciary responsibility to taxpayers.

"Cleburne ISD disputes all allegations of wrongdoing by any district employees, as alleged in the lawsuit," she said. "The settlement eliminates a distraction to the district, allowing total focus on its commitment to serving the students of CISD."

Matthew Scott, an attorney representing Lea, could not be reached for comment after the meeting. Lea could also not be reached for comment.

In April 2016, Lea filed a $1 million discrimination and retaliation lawsuit against CISD, which she alleges played a role in her demotion to the position of CISD health and physical education specialist.

Scott said in March the district put Lea on administrative leave with pay.

The lawsuit comes after grievance hearings requested by Lea in 2015 before the CISD board. Trustees in each of those hearings ruled against Lea.

Lea, 66, contends that she was forced to resign from her former position as the district's athletic director because of her gender and age, and in a February 2016 level three grievance hearing, claimed that a September 2014 performance evaluation was retaliatory in response to an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission discrimination suit she filed earlier that year.

Lea, who was hired in May 2013, said her resignation as AD on April 6, 2015, occurred "under threat of constructive termination." Lea later rescinded that resignation. Trustees approved her request to rescind her resignation by a vote of 7-0. CISD Superintendent Kyle Heath subsequently reassigned Lea to the district's health and physical education specialist.

The district hired Mark Walker as the district's new AD a short time later.

Scott, in the April 2015 release announcing the filing of the suit, said that Heath actively opposed Lea's request to rescind her resignation. Lea has alleged that her initial decision to resign occurred because Heath forced her to either resign or be fired.

Lea, Scott said in the April 2015 release, has three years of experience as an athletic director compared to no prior experience for Walker and had 14 years experience as an assistant athletic director before coming to CISD where Walker had four years of experience in the same role.

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