Weinerth v. The Martinsville City School Board, No. 4:2017cv00067 - Document 126 (W.D. Va. 2019)
Court Description: MEMORANDUM OPINION. Signed by Chief Judge Michael F. Urbanski on 5/20/2019. (mlh)
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CLERK' S OFFICE U. S.DIST.(70URT AT ROANOKE,VA FILED IN T H E U N ITED STAT ES D ISTRICT COU RT MAt 2 0 2219 FO R TH E W E STERN D IST RICT O F W RGIN IA D AN W LLE D IW SION JUm C.DODLR C ERK BY; . ' AN GEM L.G .W EIN E RT H , L Plaintiffy CivilAction N o.4:17-CV-00067 By:H on.M ichaelF.U rbansld M ARTIN SW LLE CIW BO ARD , SCH O O L ChiefUnited StatesDistdctJudge D efendant. M EM O RAN D U M O PIN IO N In thisemploymentacdon,plaindffAngelaL.G.W einet'th rv einertlf')clnimsthat shew asrem oved from herposition asprincipqlofM arénsvilleH igh Schooland reassigned as assistantprincipalatM artinsville M iddleSchoolbecause ofherrace,sex,and age,in yioladon ofTitleVIIoftheCivilRightsActof1964rTitleV1I''),42U.S.C.j2000ex1seg.,and theAge DiscriminadoninEmploymentActof1967(TIADEA'),29U.S.C.j621r.t. tç-q.Cutrently pendingbeforethecourtistheMardnsvilleCitySchoolBoatd'srfschoolBoatd7')modonfor sllmmaryjudgment.ln thatmotion,theSchoolBoatd presentssubstantialevidencethat W einerth wasreassigned from thelaigh schoolto the middle schoolforlegitim ate, nondiscrim inatory reasons.Them atterhasbeen 6lllybriefed,and the courtheard oral Weinerth v. The Martinsville City School Board argum enton M atch 11,2019.Afterreview oftheentirerecord,thecourtconcludesthat,in the Doc. 126 faceoftheevidenceofnondiscrinlinatorym odvesadducedby theSchoolBoard,W einerth has wholly failed to pzesentevidencesufûcientto establish a genuineissueofm atedalfactasto w hethertheSchoolBoard'sasserted reasonsforreassipun ' g W einerth w ere apretextfor Dockets.Justia.com unlawfuldiscriminadon.Assuch,theSchoolBoard'ssummaryjudgmentmotionis G RAN TED and thiscase disnnissed. 1. Thefollowingfactstakenftom thesllmmatyjudgmenttecotdateeithetundisputedot ptesented in the lightm ostfavozableto W einetth,the nonm oving patty.SeeAndetson v. LibertyLobby,lnc.477U.S.242,255(1986). t . W einerthlsawhitefemaleovertheageof60.W einerthDecl.!(3,ECF No.102-1.She hasovet40 yearsofexperience asa teachezand adm inistratorin the Com m onwealth of Vitginia.Id.at!6.W einetthhaswotkedfortheMardnsvilleCityPublicSchoolsrfschool System'')since2005,when shewashited to teach in thescholars'program atM attinsville MiddleSchool.Id.at! 7. In 2012,W einerth wasappointed to theposition ofassistantptincipalatM qttinsville High School.Id.at! 8.Atthattime,PnmelaHeath rfHeath7')wasthesupelintendçntofthe SchoolSystem andAjamuDixonrfDLxon''lwastheprincipalMfthelaighschool.Ldaat!!8,9. Dixon,ablackmaleundertheageof40,had served asprincipalsince2011.Id.at!! 4,9. A ccording to W einerth'sallegations,attheHm e she started atthelligh school,the studentsthetew ere falling behind academically and scoring poorly on the state'sStandatdsof Learrlingr<SOL')tests.Id.at!10.Onmorethanoneoccasion,W einet'thvoicedconcernsto Dixonregarclingthesmdents'decliningacademicperformance.J-daat!(11.Dixon didnot respond favotably to W einerth'ssuggeséonsandinstrllcted herto ffbackoff.''ld.(internal quotadon matksoznitted).Thehigh schoolultimatelylostitsGall-accreditadonraéngfrom the state. 2 A ttheconclusion of2012-2013 schoolyear, H eath com pleted a fT rincipalSllm m aéve Perfo= anceReport''forDixon,in w hich sherated D ixon'sperfotm anceasfru nacceptable'' in the following six categoties:insttucdonalleadetsllip,schoolclim ate, h:xm an tesom ces m anagem ent,otganizadogalm anagem ent,ptofessionalism ,and sm dentacadenaicprogtess. Pl.'sEx.D ,ECF N o.102-4,at3-10.Heath noted, qm ong othetdefkiencies,thatD ixon demonstratedtçgeqxtremeinconsistenciesin modelingmutualrespect,concern,and empathy forsm dents,patents,and staff'';thathedid fdnotinspirean environm entoftrust'';thathewas ffgilnconsistentin addtessing sttzdentand staffcliscipline'';andthathedid notadequately Tfplanq forincreased smdentacademicprogress.':Jd,at4,9.Heath recommended thatthe SchoolBoard nottenew D ixon'scontractfortheposidon ofprincipal.Id.at10.1 Therecotd indicatesthattheSchoolBoard followed H eath'jzecom m endation.By letterdatedlune11,2013,Heath advisedDixon thatlnisconttactfortheprincipalposidon would notberenewed bytheSchoolBoardforthe2013-2014 schoolyear.JA at2.Hewas subsequently reassigned to an adrninistradve posidon within theSchoolSystem 'scenttal ofhce.W einerthDecl.! 15. W ith the approvaloftheSchool:oard,H eath ptom oted W einerth to theposidon of principalforthe2013-2014schoolyear.Heath Decl.5 8,ECF N o.102-2.W einerth faced severalchallengesupon assum ing hetnew posidon,including m oterigorousSO L benchm arks imposed bythestate,severebudgetcuts,anddisciplinaty problem s.W einet'th D ecl.!(17; Heath Decl.!(11.W einerth maintainsthatshemadeitherT'rnission''to addresseach ofthese challenges.W einerth Decl.j 18. ' 1Dr.ZebedeeTalleyylr.,thepresentSuperintendentoftheMardnsvt 'lleCityPublicSchoolstakesissuewif. h tl aisfçscatlningreviem ''quesdoningitsobjecdvityandcredibilitp TalleyAff.,ECFNo.100-8,at6. 3 W einerth tzlfim ately served asprincipalofthe high schoolforthree years. Atthe conclusion ofthe 2015-2016 schoolyear,H eath com m ended W einerth'sTfeffortsand advancem entsin im proving the school,'?and ffcongratulated her on ach eving continlxing contractstamsasaptincipalasofJune15,2016.:'2HeathDecl.!(27. Itisundisputed thatstandatdized testscoresim ptoved duting W einetth'stenuteas principal.However,thepardesdisagree asto whetherW einerth effecdvely addressed the school'sdisciplinatyptoblem s.Although H eath'sdeclatation indicatesthatTfstazdentbehavioz impzovegdl''dvuingW einerth'stenuteasprincipal,HeathDec.!24,theaffidavitspzesented by theSchoolBoatd paintavery diffezehtpicture.See e. .,A ff.ofK aren Sawyer,ECF N o. 100-9,at' 1 (describing smdentsasTfrowdy and somewhatoutofconttol';duringW einerth's tenureasprincipal);Aff.ofGeraldItidd,ECF No.100-12,at1(emphasizing thatTfgtjhere w ere atleajt46 reported fightsbetween stazdentsduting M rs.W eiperth'sfustyearas . principal,''andthatt'lsqtazdentswerefrequeptlynotin çlass,skipped theitclassescompletely, orleftschooleatly'). Heath suddenlyreeed ftom theSchoolSystem onluly 14,2016.W einerth Decl.! 25. Twodayslater,onJuly16,2016,Dr.ZebedeeTalley,lr.rtTalley''),ablackmale,wasnamed intezim superintendent.Talley had served asprincipalofPattick H enry Elem entarySchool rTatdckHenrf)intheCityofMare svillesinceluly1,2012.J1. LAtthetimeofTalley's 2UnderVirgirlialam a public schoolplincipalacquiresffcontinpling contract'status''afterserving a probationarytet' m ofthreeyearsin thatposidon.Va.Codej22.1-294.Upon obtniningcondnllingcontract stattzs,ateacheroradministratorffcan onlybeterm inated forgood cause.''Echtenb m p v.Loudon Ctp Pub. Schs.,263F.Supp.2d1043,1054(E.D.Va.2003);seealsoHibbittsv.BuchananC .Sch.Bd.,433F.App'x 203,206(4thCir.2011)CA Virgml ''apublicschoolaclministmtorhasaprotectedpropertyrightitzher employmentoncesheobtninscontirslingcontractstatus.'')(citingWootenv.CliftonForgeSch.Bd.,655F.2d 552,544-55(4thCir.1981)). 4 promodonto Superintendentinluly2016,noneoftheschoolsintheSchoolSystem werefully accredited by the state.Id. Onluly23,2016,thelocalnewspapetpublishedan atdcledtled,Tfschoolboatdwantsa m otedivetse staff.''P1.'sEx.C.,ECF N o.102-3,at2.Afternodng thatm oze than 70 percent oftheSchoolSysteth'sstaffm em berswetewhite, theatdcleteported thatfftlaesupetintendent . ' and the schoolboard ...believeam orediverse staff''could f'im prove thedisttict's performance.''Jd.at4.Talleywasquotedassayingthatfffgmqinotitysmdentsdobetyeranddo wellwhen theyhavepeoplein authozitywholooklikethem l?andthatTftit'sgoodto havea classroom andaschoolthatrepresentsthedemograpbicsofourgateaj.'''lda(alteradonin origm 'al).Theartkleattdbuted similarcommentsto SchoolBoardmemberVictorCorrea tffcorrea'>l: <'ItbinkthiscommunityhasaverylargeAfricagnqAmerican com m unity,and therehasbeen alatge requestfrom parentsfot m oreA frican Am erican teachers.In orderforthe sm dentsto have am orecom fortable leazning ene onm ent,Ithink it's im portantto the studentsto have a teacherthatlookslikethem , Corzeasaid.lt'snotjustaM ardnsvillething,it'sanadonwide issue.'' Specifically,Correa said he'd lilte to seem ote black m aleteachets in thedistzict,hoping they can serve.asposidverolem odelsfor studentsin theirclasses. Ld=at5.Atthetimethestatementswezemade,TfthemajorityoftheMardnsvitleHighSchool . sttzdentpopulaéonwasblack andmale.''W einetth Decl.!J29.3 3 AstheSchoolBoard noteson brief,statementssuch astheseare consistentwith published sm dies.Indeed, theVirginiaBoard ofEducadon's2018AnnualReporton theCondition andN eedsofPublicSchoolsitz VirginiastatesthatKffgsjttzdieshavefoundthatteachersofcolorboosttheacademicperfo- anceofallsmdents generally,andtheperformanceofsmdentsofcolorspeciscallp'''Def.'sBr.Supp.Mot.Summ.J.,ECFNo.100, at11n.1(quoting2018AnnualReportat12,availableatv 5 .doe.vl/ia.gov/boe/reports/zdex.shtml). The day before the stqiclewaspublished, Talley called W einerth w hile shew ason vacadon and inquited asto how m anyblack teacherswereem ployed atthelligh school.4 J. z at !(32.W einetthinfotmedTalleythatsheKfwasoutoftown,onvacadon,anddidnotktaow the answetto ltisquesdon,offtlaetop ofI t her)head.''J-c. kW einetth alsoadvisedTalleythat (fpetfotmancewasghez)top considetadon':andthatshedidnottecommendlnitingteachets basedonraceorsex.Ldaat!33.TazeyaskedW einerthto countthenxlmberofteachersbyrace and zepottback to lnim with theinform ation.Ld, W einerth did asshew asins% cted.Joa. - . A few dayslatet,onluly26,2016,TalleymetwithW einetthandadvisedhetthathewas demotinghertotheposiéon ofassistantprincipalatM aténsvilleMiddleSchool.sId.at! 34. W hen W einetth asked w hy shew asbeing dem oted,Talley allegedly Tfstated fthecom m unity has spoken'' 'and ffrefusedtoelaborate.''Id.!at36.Atthefimeofthedecision,Talleyhad not . visited thelligh Fchooldllring theyqhooldayottfdiscussed anyaspecyoflthelligh school's) operaéonsorperfot-mance''withW einerth.Li at!39. TalleymaintainsthatVsdecision to removeW einerth from theposiéon ofplincipal wasm otivated by ffissuesofsafety and disciplineatthelligh school.''Talley A ff.q, t3.In his affidavit,Talley acknowledgesthatthehigh schoolexperienced ffsom eacadee c progress'' underW einertlfsleadezship.J-daHowevet,TalleyemphasizesthatKfotherconcernsaboutthe 4A ccozclingtoTalley, theitlqttt 'rywasprom pted by concernsvoiced byDianathaW illiam son,a busitzess teacherattheiligh school,who wasbeingtransferred to anotherschoolatW einerth'sdirecdon.TalleyAff.at4. W itliam son reported thatshewastheonlyblackteacheratthehigh schooland thatparentswereunhappywith thetransferdecision.J. i 5 Priorto Talley'sappointnentasinterim superintendent, theSchoolBoard adopted aresoludon authozizing thesuperintendentto reassign personnelwithin theSchoolSystem .D ef.'sEx.4,ECF N o.100-4,at59seealso Va.Codej22.1-297(<flftheschoolboardadoptsaresoludonauthorizitlgthedivision supetintendentto reassign ...teachers,principalsand assistantprincipals,thedivision superintendentmayreassign anysuch teacher,principalorassistantprincipalforthatschoolyearto any schoolwithin such division,provided no change orreassignm entduzing a schoolyearshallaffectthe salary ofsuch teacher,principalorassistant principalforthatschoolyear.''). 6 envitonmentforlearning ...overshadowed A einertlfs)achievements.''Ltk ln pardcular, . Talleyinclicatesthatresoutceofficersatthehkhschool,aswellasparentsofhighschool st azdents,ffhadexpressed concetnsaboutalack ofdisciplineand conttolwithin theschooly' and rfm any patentsfeated forthe safety oftheiz students.''Id. Talley'saffidavitalso em phasizesthatfv einerth'ssttengthsareinstrucéon and acadenaics''and thatTdnearly gheé entirecateerasan educatorwasin amiddleschoolsettinp'' 1d.Atthetim e ofTalley'sdecision,M ardnsvilleM iddle Schoolhad no assistantprincipaland rf wasin despezate need ofan academ ic-driven aclm inistratordueto dropping assessm ent scores.''ld.Talleyindicatesthathgwasfam iliatwit.h W einerth'sabilidesand experience from h>ving previouslyw orked with her,and thathe fffeltthatshew ould excelatassisting and m otivadng teachers''atthenaiddleschool.1d. A fterreassigning W einerth to the middle school,Talley reinstated D ixon to the posiéon ofprincipalfotthe 2016-2017 schoolyear.Id.at4.Talley also reassigned Renee Brow n,theblack fem ale assistantpdncipalatthe lligh school,to the posidon ofassistant principalatAlbertHatrisElementarySchoolrfAlbertHarris').Id.TalleyreplacedBrownwith ClarenceSim ington,ablack m alewho had <'experience notonlyin the schoolsystem butalso in law enforcement.''J. daAccordingtoTalley'safhdavit,hedetetmined thatDixon and Sim ington w ould be ableto m oze effecdvely handlethe disciplinaryproblem satthe lligh school.Seeids(opining thatTftheschoolwasmorestmactured,disciplined and safedllting p ixon's)tenure''and thatSilington'semploym entbackground madehim rfwellsuited''for theposition ofassistantprincipalatthehigh school). 7 Atsom e pointsubsequentto thereassigmnents, the high schoolregained full accreditation from the state.The schoolrem ainsftzlly accredited. W einetth D ep.4,ECF N o. 100-1. The SchoolBoatd hasstèbm itted zstsofffteachetseparadons''fotthe2013 to 2018 hscalyeazs.D ef.'sEx.13,ECF N o.100-13,at1-5.D uting the 2013 fiscalyeat, the School System lost> entreightteachers.Lda at1.O fthose,ten worked atthe high school,nine . worked atAlbertH arris,and eightw otked atthemiddle school.ld.D uring the2016 fiscal year,the SchoolSystem lostûfty-six teachers.Id.at2-4.O fthose,twentyworked atAlbert H arzis,sixteen wotked atthe bigh school,and hfteen w orked atthem iddle school.Id. II. In theinstantaction,W einerth assertsclnim sofraceand sex cliscrim inadon underTitle V11,and a clnim ofage disctim ination under theAD EA .The SchoolBoard hasm oved for summaryjudgmentonallthteecou 'nts. ff-f' hecourtshallgrantsummaryjudgmentifthemovantshowsthatthereisnogenuine disputeastoanymaterialfactand themovantisendtledtojudgmentasamatteroflam ''Fed. R.Civ.P.56(a).T<A disputeisgenuineifTareasonablejulycouldreturnaverdictforthe nonmovingparty.n''LibeztarianPartyofVa.v.ludd,718F.3d308,313(4thCit.2013)(quoting Dulane v.Packa 'n Co .ofAm.,673F.3d 323,330 (4th Cir.2012)).A factismatedalifit Ktnaightaffecttheoutcom eofthe stzitundezthegoverning lam ''A nderson,477 U.S.at248.ln deciclingwhetheragenuinedisputeofmaterialfactexists,thecourtmustTfviewgthefactsand reasonableinferencçsdrawn therefrom in thelightm ostfavorableto thenonm oving party.'' W oozardv.Galla her,712F.3d 865,873 (4th Cit.2013).However,f'thenonmoving party m ustrely on m orethan conclusory allegadons,m ere speculadon,thebuilcling ofoneinference 8 upon anothez,orthe m ereexistence ofascindllaofevidence.''D ash v.M a eather,731 F.3d 303,311(4t.hCir.2013). 111. TitleVIIm akesitunlawfulfotan em ployerto t'discrim inateagainstanyindividualwith resphctto gherjcompensadon,tetms,condiéons,orprivilegesofemployment,becauseof suchindividual'srace...gorqsex.''42U.S.C.j2000e-2(a)(1).Similarly,theADEA makes'it unlawfulfoian employeztoffdisctiminateagainstanyindividualwith respectto gherl com pensaéon,term s,condidons,orprivilegesofem ploym ent,because ofsuch individual's age-':29U.S.C.j623(a)(1). A plaindffmayavoidsummaryjudgmentandestablijhacbim ofrace,sex,orage discrim ination in one oftwo ways.First,aplaintiffm ay offerdirectorcircum stantialevidence ofan em ployer'sdisctinninatory anim us.H illv.Lockheed M arén Lo 'sdcsM t. lnc.,354 F.3d277,284(4th Cit.2004)(enbanc),abro atedin artb Grossv.FBL Fin.Servs.,Inc.,557 U.S.167(2009).Second,aplnintiffmayproceedunderthebklrden-shiftingframewotkset forthinMcDonnellDou lasCo .v.Green,411U.S.792(1973).J-I. Lat2859seealsoFosterv. Univ.ofMa land-Eastern Shore,787 F.3d243,249(4th Cit.2015)(TitleVll);M ereishv. W alker,359F.3d330,334 (4th Cir.2004)(ADEA). In theirrespective briefs,the pardesanalyzeW einerth'sclsim sofclisctim inaéon under theM cD onnellD ou 1as fzam ework:Putsuantto thisfram ework,theplaintiffbearstheiniéal burden of.establishing a ptim a facie case ofdisctim ination.M eteish,359 F.3d at334.Ifshe spcceeds,the btzrden slniftsto the defendantto ardculatealegitim a te,nondiscrim inatory b ' . ' zeason fozthe adverseem ploym entacdon.J-I. L O nce the defendantproffetsajusdhcation for , theacdon atissue,fftheblzrden slaiftsback to tlzeplaindffto pzoveby aprepondezanceoftlze 9 evidence thattheemployer'sstated teasonsfw ete notitstt'ueteasons, butwete aptetextfot disçtimination.'''Hill,354 F.3d at285(quoéngReevesv.Sandetson Plumbin Ptods.lnc., 530U.S.133,143 (2000)).ffef' hefinalpretextinquiryTmergeswit.h theultimateburden of persuadingthecotutthatgtheplaindffjhasbeen thevicém ofintenéonaldisctiminadon,' wlaich atalltim esrem inswith theplainéff.''M errittv.O ld D onninion Frei htLine lnc., 601 F.3d289,294 (4th Cir.2010)(quotingTexasDep'tofCmtp Affaitsv.Btlrdinq,450U.S.248, 256(1981)). In movingforsummaryjudgment,theSchoolBoatd arguesthatW einerthisunable. to establish aptim a facie case ofzace,sex,orage disctim inadon,orshow thatthe asserted justificaéonsforherreassignmentwerepretekmal.Althoughthecourtconcludesthat W einerth hasestablished aprim a facie case,itagzeeswit. h the SchoolBoard thatW einezth has / notpresentedgufficientevidencefrom whichareasonablejurycouldconcludethattheSchool Board'sasserted reasonsforherreassignm entwerea ptetextfordiscrim inaéon. A. Theplaintiff'siniéalburden undertheM cD onnellD ou 1asfram ew ork isçfnot onerous.''Burdine,450 U .S.at253.To establish aprim a facie caseofdiscrim ination,the plaindffmustshow (1)thatsheisamemberofaprotectedclass;(2)thatshesufferedan adverseemploymentaction;(3)thatshewasperformingherjobdutiesatalevelthatmether employer'slegitimateexpectadonsatthetimeoftheadverseemploymentacdon;and (4)that theadvçrseemploym entaction occurred 'dundercitctunstancesgiving zise to an inference of unlawfuldiscrimination.''Adnmsv.Tr.ofUniv.ofN.c.-W ilminlon,640F.3d 550,558 (4th Cir.2011). 1. TheSchoolBoatd atguesthatW einetth'sclqim sfailatthe second elem entbecaùsehet reassignm entwasnotan advetse em ploym entacdon.Forputposesofa disctim inaéon clmim undetTitleVIIorthe AD EA ,an Tfadvetseem ploym entacéon''isone thatffadvetsely affects tlaetetms,condidons,orbeneûtsoftlaeplaindff'semployment.';Jamesv.Booz-M en& Hamilton,lnc.,368F.3d371,375(4thCir.2004)(internalquotationmatksonnitted).The United StatesCourtofA ppealsfortheFourth Citcuithasheld thatareassignm entcan consdttzte an adverse em ploym entacdon Tfiftheplainéffcan show thatthereassignm enthad somesignifkantdetrimentaleffect.''ld.(internalquotaéonmarksomitted).Examplesofsuch effectsincludeaffdecreaseincompensadon,jobdtle,levelofresponsibility,oropportaznityfor promotion.''Id.(inteznalquotation marksomitted). In supportofitsatgum ent,the SchoolBoazd focuseson the factthatW einerth's reassignm entclid nothave an im m ediate effecton her salary orbenefits.SeeD ef.'sBr.Supp. Mot.S1Amm.J.(f<DeE'sBt.?),ECFNo.100,at16(emphasizingthattheplaindff'sTfsalaryand bene'ftswereunchanged thatyeardespitehernew role7).Astheforegoingprecedentmakes clear,however,an adverse vm ploym entacéon isnotlim ited to situaéonsin which an çm ployee experiencesaHim inudon . in salaty orlossofbenefits.Instead,areassignm entcan consdtaztean adverseemploymentacéon whenitisaccompaniedbyachangein job dtleor levelofêesponsibilitp lam es,368 F!3d at375.BecauseW einerth wasm oved fzom theposiéon - ofprincipalto thatofassistantprincipal,areasonablejutycould easilyfind thather reassignm entconsdtuted an adverse em ploym entacHon.Thus,W einerth sadsfies thesecond elem entofaptim afacie case. 2. TheSchoolBoazd also arguesthatW einerth isunable to m eetthe thitd elem ent.To sadsfythiselement,aplainéffmustpresentsufficientevidencefrom wllichareasonablyjury couldiindthatffshewaspetfotminghetjobdutiesatalevelthatmetheremployer'slegitimate expectadonsatthetim eofthe.advezse em ploym entacdon.''Hill,354F.3d at285.TheFourth Circuit,like otherappellatecotuts,hasTfqualified thisteqlpirem entby clarifying thatthe plainéff'sburden in thiszegard isnotan onerousone.''HiIIv.Se.Frei htLines Inc.,523 F. App'x 213,216 (4th Cir.2013)9seealsoDenisonv.Swaco Geolo a h Co.,941F.2d 1416, 1421(10+ Cir.1991)(holdingthattheplaintiffffmethisburdenofproducéonbyinttoducing som e evidenceofgood perform ance''and agreeing with the Second CircuitthatKffpzoofof com petence sufûcientto m ake outaprim a facie case ofdiscrim inadon wasneverintended to encompassproofofsuperiorityorflawlessperformancen')(quodngPowellv.S racuseUrliv., 580F.2d 1150,1155(2d Cir.1978))9LaMonta nev.Am.ConvenienceProds.Inc.,750F.2d 1405,1413-14(7thCir.1984)(concludingthattheplaintiffestablishedaptimafaciecasewith eyidencethatlnisjobperformancewasgenerallysaésfactory,despiteotherevidencetothe contrary).TTAlthoughonsummaryjudgmentanemployerisfreetoassettthatthejob expectadon ptong hasnotbeen m et,nothing pzollibitstheem ployee from countering this asserdon with evidencethatdemonsttates(oratleastcreatesaquesdon offact)thatthe proffered fexpectation'isnot,in fact,legitim ateatal1.''W arch v.O l' lio Cas.Ins.Co.435F.3d 510,517 (4t. h C. ir.2006). Viewing therecord in thelightm ostfavorable to the plaindff,thecourtconcludesthat areasonableju. ty colzld findthat,atthetimeofherreassignment,W einerthwasmeeéngher employer'slegitimatejob expectations.Therecord revealsthatW einerthwassupervised by H eath forallbutthefinaltwelvedaysofherthtee-yeattenm easprincipal.H eatlfsdeclataéon indicatesthatW einetth notonlyfçpetfotmedup to gl-leath's)expectadons,''butffexceeded I èhet)expectationsinthoseateasmostctidcalto thesuccessofMattinsvizeH igh School.'' , Heath Decl.IJ29.Additionally,attlaeendofthe2015-2016 schoolyeat,Heath commended W einerth'sTfeffottsand advancem ents,''which included inczeased testscotes,and ffcongratulated hezon aclnievingcontinlxing contractstat'usasaprincipal.''Id.!j27.Thecoutt believesthatsuch evidence,w hen consttazed in W einerth'sfavor,issuffkientto satisfy her burden attheprim afacie stage.SeeTille v.Piedm ontAlrlines Inc.,713 F.App'x 181,186 (4thgcir.2017)(ûndingthiselementsadsfiedwherethepbindff'ssuperdsorffreferredtohim >sfaseasoned apd competentemployee'''sixweeksprity to theplaindff'ste= inadon) (internalquotationmarksomitted);Bassv.E.I.Du ontdrNemoprs& Co.,324F.3d761,766 n.2(4th Cir.2003)(ûndingthiselementsadsfiedFhere,amongotherthings,theplnindffTfhad beentoldthatherperfot-mancewassaésfactorf). M oreover,W einerthhascitedevidenceftom whichareasonablejurycouldfindthat certain proffered expectationswere ffnot,in fact,legitim ate.''W arch,435 F.3d at517.For instance,whilethe SchoolBoard em phasizesthattfthe high schoolrem ained unaccredited''at the end ofW einerth'stenure,D ef.'sBr.at22,the sam ew astnze fotalloftheotherschoolsin theCity ofM ardnsville,including Patrick H enry,whereTalley had served asprincipalsince July 1,2012.SeeTalleyAff.at1 rtln 2014,allfourcityschoolswereaccredited withwarrzing, which m eansthey werenot6llly accredited.ln the sum m erof2016,none ofthe schools within theCity'sschoolsystem weref'ullyaccredited.').Despitetbisdefkiency,Talleywas prom oted to theposition ofinterim superintendent. Along the sam elines,M atdnsville High Schoolwasnottlae only schoolthatçflost teachersatasignifk antzate''duting thetim efram ein wllich W einerthw asprincipal.D ef.'sBt. at8.Instead,the record indicatesthatthe rniddle schoollostm oreteachetsthan thelaigh schoolduting the 2015 iiscalyear,and thatAlbettH atrislostm ore teachersthan the lnigh schooland thenaiddle schooldtuing the 2016 fiscalyear.W hiletheSchoolBoard em phasizes thatthenumberofteachetsWholeftthelnigh schoolnearlyffdoubled'?from 2013to 2016,JA at5,the nkunbetofteachetswho leftAlbertH atrisincteased atan even highettate. N onetheless,thereisno evidence thattheprincipalofthemiddle schoolorA lbertH atriswas teassigned in 2016. Based on the foregoing evidence,the courtconcludesthatagenuine issue ofm aterial factexistsasto FhethetW einerth w asperfornning atan acceptablelevelatthedm e ofher reassignment.Accordingly,theSchoolBoardisnotendtled to sllmmaryjudgmentonthethird elem ent. 3. The cotutalso concludesthatdisputed issuesoffactexistwith respectto the fout'th elem entofa prim a faciecase:thatthe adverseem ploym entacdon occurred ffunder cizcllm stancesgiving riseto an inferenceofunlawf'uldiscrim inaéon.''A dam s,640 F.3d at559. A plainéffcan satisfy thiselem entby showing thatherposiéon rem ained open orwasftlled by asim ilarly qualified applicantoutsidetheprotected class.Hill,354 F.3d at285;seealso D ugan v.AlbemarleCountySch.Bd.,293F.3d 716,721 (4th Cit.2002)(notingthatthefourth elem entin an AD EA case ffissadsfied with proofofreplacem entby a substandally younger W orker7'). In thiscase,itisundisputed thatW einetth wasteplaced by a black m alewho ism ote than 20 yearsyounger.TheSchoolBoazd nonethelessappeatsto argtze thatW einerth's replacem entby D ixon doesnotgiveriseto an inference ofdiscHm ination since Dixon ffhad pteviousexperienceasaptincipal'?and Tfalso had pliozadm inisttadveexpedencein theSchool Boatd'sCentzalO ffice.''D ef.'sBt.at17,A ccozding to theplainéff'sevidence, how ever, D ixon w asreassigned to the adrninisttadve posidon aftetH eath found hisperform anceas principalto beunacceptableand theSchoolBoard declined to renew hisconttactforthe 2013-2014 schoolyeat.Viewing therecotd in thelightm ostfavotableto W einetth,the court concludesthatthe decision to replaceW einerth with D ixon supportsan inferenceof discrim inatory anim us.atthisstage ofthe procèedings.The courtthereforeconcludesthat W einerth hasm ether<trelatively m odest''butden ofestablislning a prim a facie caseof disctim itnaéon underTitleVIIand theAD EA .B antv.Aiken Re 'lM ed.Ctrs.Inc.,333F.3d 536,545(4th Cir.2003)(internalquotadonmatksomitted). B. UndertheM cD onnellD ou lasfram ework,theburden shiftsto theSchoolBoard to produce evidence oflegitim ate,non-discrim inatoryzeasonsforrem oving W einerth from het posiéon ofprincipal.Theem ployer'sbtuden atthisstage ffisone ofproducdon,not persuasion,''arid involvesçtno credibility assessm ent.''W arch,435 F.3d at514.Relym ' g on afûdavitsfrom Talley and two ofitsm em bers,theSchoolBoard m aintainsthatthe lnigh schoolhad Kfsedousdisciplinaryissues''dudng W einertlfstenure asprincipaland therefore needed atfstrong'disciplihatian asprincipal.''D ef.'sBr.at23-24.M any otheraffantsattested to discipline and sttzdentbehaviorproblem satthehigh schoolduring thisperiod,including staffm em betsw ho wotked underW einetth.Fozpurposesofthepending m odon, thecoutt concludesthatthe SchoolBoatd hassatished itsbutden ofpzoducdon. Theburden thereforeslziftsback toW einerth to provethattheassertedjusdfications forherreassignmentwereffnotgthejtn'ereasons,butwereapretextforcliscriminadon.''Hill, 354 F.3d at285.A plaintiffcan establish ptetextby showing thattheem ployet'sTfexplanadon isfunworthy ofcredence'orby offering other fot'm sofcitcum standalevidence sufficiently probativeof...discrimination.''Mereish,359F.3dat336(quotingBtzrdipe,450U.S.at256). f<(A1plaindff'sprimafaciecase,combinedwith sufhcientevidenceto iindthattheemployer's assertedjustzcation isfalse,maypermitthetrietoffactto concludethattheemployer unlawfully discHm inated.''Reeves,530 U .S.at148. To pyovepretext,aplaintiffm ustdo m orethan presentconclusoryallegadonsof discrim inadon;rathet,ffconczetepazticulars''are reqlpired.M eiriv.D acon,759 F.2d 989,998 (2dCiz.1985).A plaiqtiffmustcomeforwatdwi ,thadrnissibleevidencethatismorethan self-servingopinionsorspeculation.SeeCause v.Balo ,162F.3d795,801(4thCir.1998). Federalcourtsdo not'serve to second-guessw orkplace decisions;thus,aclsim of discrim ingtion cannotbebased on m eredisagzeem entwith an adverse em ploym entdecision. SeeDelarnettev.Corning,Inc.,133F.3d293,299(4thCir.1998). Particulatly,this Courtdoesnotsitas a kind ofsuper-personnel departm ent weighing the prudence of em ploym ent decisions m adeby fll'm schargedwith employm entdisctim ination ....0 % sole concern is w hether the reason fot wlnich the defendant greassigned) the plaindff was discriminatorp Thus, when an employerardculates areason for greassigningqtlae plaintiffnot foxbidden by law ,itis notou. r province to decide whethez the reason waswise,fairorevqn correct,ultim ately,so long asittruly h wasthereason fortheplaintiff'sgreassignmentj. 16 J. i (intetnalquotadonmatksandcitadonsomitted);seealsoAndezsonv.StaufferChem.Co., 965F.2d397,403C/thCit.1992)(t<Thefactthatanemployeedoessomethingswelldoesnot m ean thatany teason given forltisfttingisa ptetextfordisctim inadon ....U talesshe attacks the specific teasonsgiven fota te= inadon,a plainéffwho sttessesevidence ofsatisfactory petfotm ance issim ply challenging thewisdom ofthe em ployet'sdecision,wbich we have consistentlyrefusedto reviem ') (internalquotationmarksand citadonsonlitted). A fterconsidering the pardes'argum ents,exhibits,and the applicable law ,the court concludesthatW einerth hasfailed to m eetherffultim ateburden ofpersuading the colzrtthat shehasbeen thevictim ofintentionaldisctim inadon.''Burdine,450 U .S.at256.Even viewing therecordinthelkhtmostfavorabletotheplainéff,areasonablejurycouldnothndthatthe alleged cliscipline-related reasonsform m oving W einezth aspdncipaland replacing herwith Dixon areunworthy ofctedence.W einerth hasnotpresented any evidence,beyond spectzlationandconjecttue,thatthedisciplineproblemsatthehigh schoolchronicledinthe afûdavitssuppordng theSchoolBoards'm otion w ere apretextfordiscrim inaéon. Attheoutset,thereisno dizectevidencethatW einerth'srace,gender,orageplayed any role in herreassignm ent.lndeed,thezeisno laintin thisrecozd thatW einerth'sageorgender had anythingto do wit. h herm oveto thenniddleschool.Raceentetsthepicturebyviztueofthe published cornm entsin favorofdiversity enhancem ent,wllich wereallegedly m adeby Talley and Correa ata SchoolBoard work session shortly afterTalley wasappointed interim quperintendentand afew daysbefore W einetth w asreassigned.The courtdoesnotbelieve thatareasonablejurycould concludethatsuch aspiradonalstatementsin favorofenhanced diversity,in and ofthem selves,areevidenceofdiscrim inatoryanimus.Seelohnsonv.M etro. Gov'tofNashville& Davidson C .,502 F.App'x 523,535(6th Cir.2012)(observingthat' 17 ffstatem entszeflecting adesite to im provectivezsity do notequateto directevidence of 1 unlawfuldiscrimination');Betnsteinv.St.PaulCom aniesInc.,134F.Supp.2d730,739n.12 (D.Md.2001)(notingthatan employet'sffcommitmentto fdivetsil 'ifexpressedin tetmsof cteadng opportunitesfotemployeesofcliffetenttaces...,isnotproofofdiscrim inatory m odvewith respectto any specific hiring decision,''and thatTf itwould bedifhcultto find todayacompanyofanysizethatdoesnothavçadiversitypolicy'). W einerth contendsthatthetim ing ofthestatem entsisindicativeofracedisctim inaéon sincetheywerem adewithin afew daysofherreassignm ent.Indeed,W einerth m akesm uch of thttimingofherzeassignment,arguingthatbecauseTalleymadethepersonnelchangejustten daysafterhisappointm entasinterim superintendentand withouthands-on knowledgeofthe sitazaéon atthe high school,llisdecision m usthavebeen based on W einerth'srace,age or . gender,ratherthan concernsrelated to sm dentdiscipM e orsafety atthehigh school.To be sure,Talley acted fast,butthe new schoolyearw asrapidly approaching.To suggestthatthe o ' tlm ing ofW einerth'sreassigrmaentisprobaéve ofrace discriminadon ignorestheim pending academ iccalendarand iswholly speculadveapd conclusory.Thus,tllisargum entisinsuffkient to rebutthew ell-supported raéonalepresented by the SchoolBoard. N oristhedeclaration ofthe form er superintendent,Pam elaH eath,to the effectthat W einerth had perfot-m ed wellasprincipalofthehigh schooland thatsm dentbehavior im proved during hettenure,suffkientto createa genuineissue offactasto whetherher zeassignm entw asracially m otivated.Tlaisevidencem erely reflectsH eath'sposthoc disagreerhentwith personnelchangesm adebyhersuccessor,and acourtcannotbaseitsrtzling on such adisagteem ent.Again,the coutt'sroleisnotto dete= inewhetherthe reasonsfor which Talleyreassigned W einezth to the rniddle schoolatthe outsetofllistenure asintetim 18 superintendentwete ffwise,fair,oreven cotrect,''butratherw hetherthey Tftruly''w ere the 'reasonsfortheteassignm ent.D tlaznette,133F.3d at299.To besure,H eath'saffidavitpzaises W einetth,and hez2013petform anceteview ofD ixon tatedhim asunacceptable,leadingto lzis replacementasVgh schoolprincipalforthe2013-2014 schoolyear.Obviously,former superintendentH eath and cturentsuperintendentTalley have differentopinionsasto the relative qualifk ationsofW einetth and Dixon.H owever,atthe pretextstageoftheanalysis, Tfgijtisthepezception ofthedecision makerwhich isrelevant.''Smith v.Flax,618F.2d 1062, 1067(4thCiz.1980).Thus,Heath'sdifferenceofopinionisinsufikienttocteateagenuine issue ofm aterialfactasto whetherW einerth'srace,age,otgenderwasadeterm ining factorin herreassignment.SeeColemanv.SchneidçrElec.USA,Inc.,755F.App'x247,249 (4th Cit. 2019)(concluclingthatthefactthatafotmersupervisorbelievedthattheplaindffperformed hetttnining tasksadequatelyw asinsufficientto establish pretextand em phasizing thatffthe hiringmanagerwasenétledto form adiffezentopinion?);Andersonv.W esdn house SavannahmverCo.,406F.3d248,269(4th Cir.2005)(recognizingthatcourtsTfcannotrequire thatdifferentsupervisorswithin the sam e organizadon m ustreach thesam econclusion on an employee'squalifkadonsandabilides'). w einetth'satgumentthattHerealteasonforherreassignm entwasthefactthatshedid notlook likem ostofthehigh schoolstudentsisundernained bythefactthatthesameracial dem ographicsexistattherniddleschoolto which shew asttansfetred and assigned a leadersbip posiéon.Furtherunderm ining herargtunentthatracem otivatedTalley'spersonnel changesisthefactthatReneeBrown,theyounger,black assistantprincipalatthelligh school, waszeassigned to an elem entaryschoolatthesam etim e.W hileBrow n rem ained in theroleof assistantprincipal,the factthatshewasrem oved from the ltigh schoolsetdng along wit.h 19 W einerth strongly supportsthe SchoolBoard'sargum entthatrace wasnota detetrnining factorinthemanagementcàangesTalleymadeatthehighschool. Finally,W einert.h hingeshercase on the factthatTalleyreplaced herasl' tigh school principalwith D ixon,a form erprinçipalw hoseperform ancew asfound to beunsatisfactoryin m any areas,including studentand staffdiscipline,in the 2013 evaluation com pleted by the priorsupedntendent.W einerth chosenotto deposeTalley,and itisnotene ely clearfrom the exisdngrecordwhetherTalleywasawareofthisperformancereview inluly of2016,when he m adethepetsonnelchangesatissue.N onetheless,even assurning thathe had knowledge of thepriorevaluation,Talley wasenétled to fonn differentopinionsregarding D ixon's capabilitiesand theindividualschools'staffng needs.See Colem an,755 F.App'x at2499 Anderson,406 F.3d at272.Thus,the factthatTaEey'sassessm entofD ixon'squaliik adons and abiliéesdiffered from thatoftheprevioussuperintendentisinsuflk ientto taise an inferenceofpretextordiscrim inatoryintent. IV. Forthereasonsstated,theSchoolBoard'smodonforsllmmaryjudgment(ECF No. * . 99)isGRAN TED andthecaseDISM ISSED.An.qppzopdateOrderwillbeentered. Entered: 4/ , * -2*---Z-o?% 2 .# -,r m .-nZC . 1 M iCIUCIF. , . anslti CY CCYnitcd StMCSDiSSVtJtldjé''-X'**'m 20
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