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Nease Teacher Awaits Hearing Teacher's Contract Revoked After Allegations That She Slapped a Student.

Posted on: Friday, 16 September 2005, 18:00 CDT

The attorney for a recently fired Nease High School teacher said it could be a few more months before an administrative judge hears the case that will spell the fate of his client's career.

Tony Demma, who represents Kara Mort, a former exceptional education teacher at Nease, expects a judge to schedule a hearing on the case some time in October or November.

Mort's 30-year teaching career came to an abrupt halt in May when the St. Johns County School District revoked her contract after allegations arose that she slapped a special education student during an altercation. Mort admitted striking the student, but her attorney denies any wrongdoing.

Despite school board members' action in July to dismiss Mort from her position, she is entitled to an administrative hearing because her contract was already extended another year before the accusations arose. Most teachers in St. Johns County are renewed on an annual basis.

Jim Springfield, director for human resources, said Mort became involved in a physical fight with a student on May 17 and before assistance arrived, she slapped the student. An investigation further revealed Mort had used physical force before, borrowed money from students and not paid them back and used the Internet for personal activity.

"The student in question had engaged in prior attacks on her and also had a tendency to harm himself, putting a teacher in a position of defending herself and protecting the student," Demma said in a previous interview. "My belief is she didn't engage in any misconduct."

After earning degrees from both the University of North Carolina and Peabody in Tenn., Mort began her career in North Carolina, according to her personnel file. She worked for a number of years in a handful of different North Carolina districts, teaching special education. During the 1980s, Mort taught at Arlington and Corrine Scott elementary schools in Duval County, spent a year with the Department of Defense, and two years as an assistant state attorney in Florida, dealing with young sex-crime victims.

She earned a law degree in 1989 from the University of Florida.

The St. Johns County School District first hired Mort on a part- time basis in 1999 at First Coast Technical Institute. She also worked at Gamble Rogers Middle School for three years before starting at Nease High School in 2004.

During her time in St. Johns County, Mort was awarded a Fulbright Memorial Scholarship, which allowed her to travel to and learn how Japan deals with special education students.

Superintendent of Schools Joseph Joyner said despite Mort's favorable background, he had no other choice than to recommend she be dismissed.

"There is no way I will ever condone those type of behaviors by any employee in the school district," he said of her physical force. lisa.miller@jacksonville.com,(904) 287-0618 ext. 202#

Source: Florida Times Union

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