High School Teacher Slandered as Racist Walks Away with Massive Payout
Daniel Engler, a longtime teacher at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School in Maryland, won his defamation lawsuit against school principal Shelton Mooney over an alleged false racism claim.
The teacher will receive $518,000 in damages after a Montgomery County Circuit Court determined that the school board was responsible for defaming him, according to Bethesda Today.
As described by the lawsuit, which was heard in court last month, Engler was trying to settle his 10th grade health class in February 2023 as he was attempting to learn their names by keeping them in assigned seats.
Two students, both of whom are black, told administrators that Engler told them to sit in their assigned seats because if they did not, he would not be able to tell them apart, per a previous report from Bethesda Today.
Mooney sent a community-wide statement two days later, claiming that Engler was responsible for a “hate-bias incident.”
“A teacher said to several African American students that he was ‘unable to distinguish them from other African American students’ in the classroom,” Mooney claimed.
“This is unacceptable and harmful behavior not in alignment with our school or districtwide values of respect and inclusivity.”
The complaint from Engler said the teacher, who had worked at the school for 18 years, was neither provided an opportunity to respond nor given notice that the statement would be sent.
Mooney had never identified Engler by name, but word reportedly spread in the community that he was the teacher in question.
According to the lawsuit, Mooney allegedly failed to follow school district policy with respect to similar incidents in the school, such as students raising accusations of anti-Semitism toward a teacher in 2022.
Engler had been placed on leave after the purportedly racist comment, which was the same day Mooney sent out the statement.
After the decision and the $518,000 award in his favor, Engler told Bethesda Today that the verdict was “a tremendous relief.”
He told the outlet that teachers are “human and are not mistake-free and have good hearts, and they should be treated that way.”
“I believe this verdict is an illustration that what I’m saying is true,” he continued, “so that means a great deal to me.”
A spokeswoman for the school board declined to comment when asked about the case by Bethesda Today.
Engler had testified in court that the incident was humiliating.
He reported that the claims against him ruined his reputation and his relationships with his students, as well as led to his dismissal as coach of the club rowing team.
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