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Swartley v. Norristown A. Sch. Dist

Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania
May 2, 1980
414 A.2d 453 (Pa. Cmmw. Ct. 1980)

Opinion

Argued April 7, 1980

May 2, 1980.

Schools — Dismissal of non-professional employe — Public School Code of 1949, Act 1949, March 10, P.L. 30 — Request for hearing — Notice of board action.

1. Under the Public School Code of 1949, Act 1949, March 10, P.L. 30, a non-professional employe of a school district must be granted a hearing upon request to challenge action of a school board dismissing him from service, and the failure to demand a hearing does not validate a dismissal action taken without a hearing when inadequate notice of the board action was given the employe who received only a letter from a principal advising the employe that the principal was recommending his dismissal to the board. [123]

Argued April 7, 1980, before Judges WILKINSON, JR., MENCER and ROGERS, sitting as a panel of three.

Appeal, No. 140 C.D. 1979, from the Order of the Court of Common Pleas of Montgomery County in case of David S. Swartley v. The Norristown Area School District, No. 78-6905.

Non-professional employe dismissed by The Norristown Area School District. Employe appealed to the Court of Common Pleas of Montgomery County. School District filed preliminary objections. Preliminary objections sustained. Appeal dismissed. STEFAN, J. Employe appealed to the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania. Held: Order vacated. Case remanded. Petition for reargument filed and denied.

Richard W. Rogers, of Rogers, King Cole, for appellant.

Thomas C. Lowery, with him Philip R. Detwiler and Maerz, Bresnan Detwiler, for appellee.


Appellant brings this appeal to challenge the propriety of his dismissal by the Norristown Area School District (District). The Court of Common Pleas of Montgomery County sustained the District's preliminary objection in the nature of a demurrer to appellant's Local Agency Law appeal. We reverse.

Act of December 2, 1968, P.L. 1133, formerly 53 P. S. § 11301 et seq., repealed by Section 2(a) of the Judiciary Act Repealer Act, Act of April 28, 1978, P.L. 202, 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 20002(a) [1429]. Similar provisions are now found at 2 Pa. C.S. §§ 551-555, 751-754.

Appellant received a letter from the principal of Norristown Area High School dated April 12, 1978 informing him that as of April 14, 1978 his employment as Assistant Facilities Manager at the high school was suspended without pay. The letter also indicated that a recommendation would be made to the Board of School Directors (board) for termination of appellant's employment because of insubordination. No further communication from the District was received by appellant until a letter dated April 25, 1978 from the Director of Personnel advising appellant the board had acted to terminate his employment effective April 14, 1978. Appellant promptly filed his appeal to the court of common pleas on April 28, 1978.

The letter, in four numbered paragraphs, went into the details of appellant's behavior which the principal deemed inappropriate and which formed the basis of his recommendation to the board.

Section 514 of the Public School Code of 1949 (Code), Act of March 10, 1949, P.L. 30, as amended, 24 P. S. § 5-514 provides the non-professional school employee, such as appellant, with certain limited protection from dismissal. Specifically Section 514 provides that

[t]he board of school directors . . . shall after due notice, giving the reasons therefor, and after hearing if demanded, have the right at any time to remove any of its officers, employes, or appointees for incompetency, intemperance, neglect of duty, violation of any of the school laws of this Commonwealth, or other improper conduct.

The common pleas court sustained the District's preliminary objection because of appellant's failure to demand a hearing. The court erred in focusing on this aspect of Section 514 for it is apparent that before any opportunity to request a hearing can arise there must be proper notice of school board action.

The April 12, 1978 letter from the high school principal, which the District argues constituted due notice, opened with the following paragraph:

This letter is to inform you that as of Friday, April 14, 1978 your employment, as Assistant Facilities Manager at the Norristown Area High School is suspended without pay and a recommendation will be made to the Board of School Directors for termination of your employment because of insubordination. (Emphasis added.)

In determining whether the District has complied with the requirements of the law it is important to note that "the procedure indicated . . . is mandatory and the failure of the board to comply with that provision of the school law nullifie[s] their action." Hetkowski v. Dickson City School District, 141 Pa. Super. 526, 529, 15 A.2d 470, 471 (1940).

The Superior Court was here dealing with Section 406 of the Act of May 18, 1911, P.L. 309 which is materially the same as Section 514 of the current Code.

While there is no doubt that the principal's letter contained adequate detail regarding appellant's questioned conduct, it simply did not constitute notice of school board action. Indeed it did not purport to be from the school board. The principal's letter was no more than notice of prospective action on his part, "a recommendation will be made." Under these circumstances, appellant was not placed on notice from the board of board action or of impending board action for which he might request a hearing; the board might as easily have decided to reject the principal's recommendation and take no action against appellant.

Accordingly, we will enter the following

ORDER

AND NOW, May 2, 1980, the order of the Court of Common Pleas of Montgomery County at No. 78-6905, dated January 11, 1979, dismissing the appeal of David S. Swartley from his termination as a nonprofessional employee of the Norristown Area School District is vacated, and the record is remanded to the common pleas court with directions that that court remand to the Norristown Area School District Board of School Directors for action consistent with the requirements of Section 514 of the Public School Code of 1949.


Summaries of

Swartley v. Norristown A. Sch. Dist

Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania
May 2, 1980
414 A.2d 453 (Pa. Cmmw. Ct. 1980)
Case details for

Swartley v. Norristown A. Sch. Dist

Case Details

Full title:David S. Swartley, Appellant v. The Norristown Area School District…

Court:Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania

Date published: May 2, 1980

Citations

414 A.2d 453 (Pa. Cmmw. Ct. 1980)
414 A.2d 453

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