Maria Waltherr-Willard, 61 had been the Spanish and French teacher at Mariemont High School in the American city of Cincinnati since 1976 but alleges that she was forced to retire in 2010 due to discrimination against her based on a disability.
Waltherr-Willard was transferred in 2009 from the High to the Middle School where she was forced to teach seventh and eighth-graders (12, 13 year old’s) which she has alleged triggered her phobia, a phobia the school board knew all about.
In her lawsuit, Ms Waltherr-Willard said that her fear of young children falls under the federal American with Disabilities Act and that the district violated it by transferring her in the first place and then refusing to allow her to return to the high school.
Gary Winters who is acting at the District Attorney on behalf of the school argues however that Ms Waltherr-Willard’s case is motivated solely by financial gain and that her accusations are unfounded.
Winters claims that Ms Waltherr-Willard was only transferred to the Middle School because the classes she had been teaching at the High School were being turned into online only courses.
“She wants money,” Mr Winters said of Ms Walter-Willard’s motivation to sue. “Let’s keep in mind that our goal here is to provide the best teachers for students and the best academic experience for students, which certainly wasn’t accomplished by her walking out on them in the middle of the year.”
Needles to say that Ms Waltherr-Willard has no children of her own… That wouldn’t look very good in court now would it?
Images: Getty
