Order made in Gateway parent’s lawsuit against superintendent
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A federal case involving Gateway School District’s superintendent and a former district parent has been settled and closed.
Tammy Aikins, 45, who also worked as a teacher’s aide in the district, filed a complaint in January to the Western District of Pennsylvania U.S. District Court against Gateway Superintendent Bill Short. In the complaint, Aikins alleged Short prohibited her from working within the school district in retaliation for going to the media with a story about her children being bullied at school. That story aired on Tribune-Review news partner WPXI on April 25, 2018.
Aikins’ former attorney, Jennifer Price, argued Short violated Aikins’ freedom of speech.
The case stems from an August 2017 incident in which Aikins boarded a school bus to confront her son’s alleged bully.
In a surveillance video, Aikins can be heard saying loudly to a student, “I will not have you bullying my 5-year-old son.”
She continues, “I’m not doing it. I hope everybody hears me, I’m not doing it this year. This is like the bad bus and I’m sick of it. Don’t bully kids.”
Aikins claimed she was permitted to board the bus, but audio does not indicate Aikins got permission from the driver, who at one point tells Aikins to calm down.
The school district reported the incident to the Monroeville police but police did not press charges and closed the case in September 2017. After the story ran on WPXI, Aikins alleged Short would not allow her to work as an aide in the district, and she filed the lawsuit.
The settlement agreement was sealed under court order on Aug. 23. However, public court records show the “material terms” of the agreement included Short’s payment to Aikins of $1,000, a release of all claims and other agreements.
Aikins, who moved out of the Gateway school district and transferred her children to another school in August 2018, has the right to appeal the judge’s Oct. 11 order that enforced a settlement and closed the case. The order says she has 30 days to file an appeal.
When reached by phone, Aikins did not say if she plans to appeal U.S. Magistrate Judge Patricia Dodge’s order.
Price, Short and his attorney, John Smart, did not respond to requests seeking comment.