TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Teacher Files Lawsuit Over Wizardry Allegation

ADVERTISEMENT

By RONNIE BLAIR | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 28, 2009

LAND O' LAKES - A former substitute teacher, who gained national attention last year when he said he lost his job over an accusation about practicing wizardry, filed a lawsuit today against the Pasco County School Board.

Jim Piculas claims in the lawsuit that school officials damaged his reputation by making false accusations about his teaching abilities.

Piculas was at Rushe Middle School in January 2008 when he performed a disappearing toothpick trick for students, then showed the students how they could do the trick themselves.

He said he later received a telephone call from a human resources supervisor who told him a parent complained and he had been accused of practicing wizardry.

School district officials had a different version of events. They said "wizardry" was Piculas' word, not theirs. They also said there were numerous problems with Piculas' classroom performance, including failure to follow the lesson plan, allowing students on computers when another teacher told him not to and telling a student she was in charge of the class.

There also was a claim he used offensive language.

The lawsuit makes no mention of "wizardry" but instead focuses on comments by administrators and documents that criticized Piculas' teaching skills and classroom behavior.

In addition to the school board, the lawsuit also names as defendants Dave Estabrook, the principal at Rushe Middle School, and Patricia Sinclair, a human resources supervisor for the district.

Dennis Alfonso, the school board's attorney, said today he had not seen the lawsuit and could not comment directly on its claims. Alfonso added, though, that "there was substantiation to all the reasons" for Piculas' termination.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT