Former William Woods employee sues school for disability discrimination

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A former sports information director at a Fulton college has sued the school in federal court.

A lawsuit was filed on Tuesday in the Western District Court of Missouri accuses William Woods University of disability discrimination and retaliation.

The petition alleges John Roushkolb was hired as a sports information director for the school on July 17, 2023, and that he was diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

“On or about February 21, 2024, Plaintiff discussed his ADHD and accompanying struggles and requests for accommodation with his superior, Steve Wilson, who said to Plaintiff, ‘I just don’t understand that and I’m not sure that I ever will,’” the petition says.

Roushkolb was placed on an improvement plan, where he “asked for regular meetings with his superiors to discuss meeting work quality and timeliness expectations,” the lawsuit alleges. But, meetings about the plan allegedly stopped in May 2024, the lawsuit alleges.

The petition claims Roushkolb was mocked by coworkers for his disability in August 2024 and was fired a month later. The lawsuit alleges Roushkolb was fired “as a result of his disability and in retaliation for his complaints regarding the discriminatory treatment.”

ABC 17 News has reached out to WWU.