Jefferson City School District to appeal employee firing case to Missouri Supreme Court

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Jefferson City School District plans to appeal a decision that it rehire a fired administrator to the Missouri Supreme Court.

The district in late December asked the Missouri Western District Court of Appeals to transfer the case of Tammy Ferry's firing to the Missouri Supreme Court. The appeals court rejected that request Tuesday. Now the district says it will take that appeal directly to the state's highest court.

"The Jefferson City School District takes the confidentiality, privacy, and security of the student data collected by and entrusted to us as one of our highest priorities," the district said in a statement. "Filing an application for transfer with the Western District was a procedural step in order to appeal directly to the Supreme Court, which the district does plan to do next. We continue to believe it is in the best interest of our staff, students, and families to appeal this case." 

Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem ordered the district to rehire Ferry with back pay last March. The Western District upheld that ruling in December.

Jefferson City School Board members claim Ferry, a former instructional technology coordinator, violated district policies and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act when she moved documents containing private student information to a private digital drive. She was suspended with pay in February 2019 and subsequently fired months later in July.

The appeals court upheld Beetem's ruling that Ferry did not violate the law or school policy by transferring the files to herself.

It's not clear when the Missouri Supreme Court will make a decision on taking up the case.