Arab American Teacher questions suspension on tenure charges after filing lawsuit
Nabil Youssef has been suspended without pay on tenure charges. (Caitlin Mota | The Jersey Journal)
By Caitlin Mota
The Jersey Journal
The Lincoln High School teacher who filed a discrimination lawsuit against administrators and the school district has been suspended without pay on tenure charges.
In his 2014 lawsuit, Nabil Youssef alleged he was the subject of retaliation after he refused to change the grades of students who were failing his math class so the district would not lose federal funds. Because he refused to grade-fix, Youssef was denied promotions and officials refused to transfer him to another school, according to the lawsuit.
The suit has not yet been settled, but Youssef is now the one facing disciplinary action. Youssef, who has been teaching at the school for nearly two decades, thinks the tenure charges could be retaliation for the lawsuit.
“I got evaluated with the same people I am filing the lawsuit against,” Youssef said. “The same defendants, the principal and vice principal who asked me to change the grades, are the ones who came and evaluated me. Does that make any sense?”
Youssef said he is unclear when his tenure case will be resolved and that he is at risk of losing his job.
The Jersey City Public Schools did not return two requests for comment on the case and Youssef’s allegations.
In a letter dated April 6, Youssef was informed tenure charges had been filed against him. The next day, he received a letter stating he would be suspended with pay pending the school board’s vote on the charges. On April 21, Youssef received a rice notice the school board would discuss his tenure case in a closed-door meeting on April 25.
But on April 24, Youssef received a second rice notice saying his charges would be discussed following the board’s meeting on April 27. About a half dozen people held anti-discrimination signs at the Thursday night meeting in support of Youssef, who is Arab-American.
He and his supporters addressed the board during the public comment portion of the meeting, but the board had already voted to move forward with the charges two days earlier. Youssef had already been suspended without pay when he addressed the board on April 27.
“The (school board) voted without hearing my side of the story, and without hearing the public’s comments which were all in support of my case against the Board in the meeting that took place on April 27, 2017,” he said.
