A former Dallas ISD administrator fired in a sports recruiting scandal has filed a lawsuit against the school district.
Anita Connally, DISD’s former University Interscholastic League compliance officer, filed the lawsuit in Dallas County District Court on Wednesday. She is one of 15 former athletics employees fired in June after an investigation found student residency documents were falsified to enable athletes to play on high school teams.
Connally and two other former employees had their firings upheld in a hearing by a DISD school board panel last week. Firings for two other employees were also upheld last month.
For seven of the fired employees, DISD changed course and allowed them to resign and have their personnel records expunged in relation to the investigation under settlement agreements.
Daniel Ortiz, an attorney for Connally, has said that his client provided information on the recruiting problems and did nothing wrong.
In the lawsuit, Ortiz says that Connally was retaliated against as a result of reports she made concerning at least four instances of fraud and/or forgery by coaches and other athletics officials to obtain eligibility for players.
The lawsuit seeks monetary relief for actual and compensatory damages of over $200,000. It also asks that Connally be reinstated to her former position or an equivalent one.
Carlos Lopez, an attorney for DISD, said during last week’s board panel that Connally did not act quickly enough. He said that Connally wasn’t part of the problem, but she did not act with the fervor that the administration thinks is needed for that position.
DISD has been called for comment. The district does not typically comment on pending litigation.
DISD launched the investigation into recruiting after the March beating death of Wilmer-Hutchins High School student Troy Causey, who lived in a southeast Dallas home with top Madison High School player Johnathan Turner. Neither athlete was living with his family in the home. Turner has been indicted on a manslaughter charge in Causey’s death.