MARPLE FIRING UPDATE State Board of Education Asks WV Supreme Court To Declare Marple Firing Valid
Reported by: Jeff Morris
Web Producer: Jeff Morris
Reported: Nov. 30, 2012 12:06 PM EST
Updated: Nov. 30, 2012 5:05 PM EST
Eyewitness News Photo
Charleston
, Kanawha County
, West Virginia
The West Virginia State Board of Education has asked the state Supreme Court to declare its firing of former state Superintendent of Schools Jorea Marple valid and that it be allowed to name a permanent replacement for the position.
The board's response was filed Friday afternoon after Mountain State Justice filed a petition on behalf of the parents of a special needs child asking that the court block the state board's latest firing of Marple.
In its response, the state board said its first firing of Marple on Nov. 15 did not violate the Open Governmental Proceedings Act, that the agenda was properly advertised and it included personnel matters that are permitted to be discussed in executive session. It also argued that the first vote was conducted in public.
The board also argued that if any aspect of the Nov. 15 termination did not comply with the Open Governmental Proceedings Act, those shortcomings were addressed when the board met again and fired Marple on Nov. 29.
The parents of a special needs child who previously attempted to have the firing of former Schools Superintendent Jorea Marple voided are asking the state Supreme Court to block the West Virginia Board of Education’s latest firing of Marple.
Mountain State Justice filed the petition Thursday on behalf of James and Michelle Hicks, asking the court to block Thursday’s 6-2 vote by the state school board to fire Marple. The petitioners filed a previous request on Nov. 21 to block the board’s first attempt to fire Marple on Nov. 15.
In the latest petition, Mountain State Justice said Thursday’s action by the board was simply to “cleanse its plainly illegal act” and that it was “nothing more than a ceremonial and perfunctionary ratification of the previous illegal termination.”
Mountain State Justice asks the court to declare Thursday’s decision to fire Marple again as invalid and it seeks to block school board members from naming a new superintendent. It also wants the petitioners to be awarded attorneys’ fees.
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Jeff Morris
