Pamella E. Settlegoode v. Portland Public Schools, Multnomah School District No.1 Susan Winthrop Robert Crebo Larry Whitson
Opinion
Opinion
Kozinski, J.
We consider the standard of review applicable to various post-trial motions following a jury verdict.
Facts
Many facts were hotly disputed at trial. We state them here consistent with the verdict.
Dr. Pamella Settlegoode was hired by Portland Public Schools as an Adapted Physical Education teacher for the 1998-99 academic year on a probationary basis. Hired to teach students with disabilities in various schools in the district, she was an itinerant teacher and therefore conducted her physical education classes at two or three different schools each day. Her job included teaching the disabled students as well as drafting individualized education programs (IEP) for them, as mandated by federal law. See 20 U.S.C. § 1414 (d).
Settlegoode soon became concerned about the way disabled students were treated in the Portland schools. She had trouble finding a place to teach her high school students; material and equipment were often lacking, inadequate or unsafe. Settle goode tried to talk to her immediate supervisor, Susan Winthrop, about these problems. Winthrop told Settlegoode that she was the only one who had ever complained about the facilities for disabled students, and Winthrop…