Lawsuit Over Friends Central Teachers Firing Can Continue: Report

WYNNEWOOD, PA — A judge recently decided a lawsuit against the Friends Central School in Wynnewood for a pair of teachers' firing can continue, according to a report.

Friends Central English teacher Ariel Eure and history teacher Layla Helwa were fired after inviting Swarthmore College professor Dr. Sa'ed Atshan's for a lecture. Atshan, who is Palestinian, was set to speak to the school's Peace and Equality in Palestine Club, which was formed by students without Eure's and Helwa's input.

The lecture was canceled by the school.

The pair filed a federal wrongful termination lawsuit against headmaster Craig N. Sellers and Board of Trustees clerk Phillip Scott.

Now, according to a new report from Main Line Media News, a federal judge denied the school's request to toss the suit out, and sided partially with the teachers and the school.

The court agreed with Eure and Helwa that the school's communication with its community "lowered [their] reputations in the community and prevented them from securing gainful employment."

Conversely, the judge sided with the school, Eure and Helwa were unable to show they were discriminated against based on their religion or sex.

The teachers are suing for compensatory and punitive damages for more than $150,000 and are sought a ruling that the school violated their rights under the 1964 Civil Rights Act. They also claim statements made by school administrators about them were defamatory.

Atshan is an assistant professor with Swarthmore's Peace & Conflict Studies department and holds several degrees from Harvard and Swarthmore. Atshan has also worked with Human Rights Watch, the American Civil Liberties Union, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Seeds of Peace International Camp, the Palestinian Negotiations Affairs Department, and Medical Aid for Palestinians, according to Swarthmore College.

Following their suspension, during which Eure and Helwa were unsure of the future of their careers at the school, the pair and their attorney Mark Schwartz issued a five-point ultimatum to the school. Only one of those points was met, as the school re-invited Atshan to speak to students. He ultimately declined the invitation.

Eure and Helwa were offered $5,000 severance packages if they dropped a civil rights lawsuit and signed a confidentiality agreement, but they turned down the packages.

Scott said the issue was not a free speech issue, but rather an issue of the pair "failing to follow explicit directives, and their stated intentions going forward."

Their contracts then were not renewed, effectively firing them from the school.