Alan Rodemaker v. City of Valdost Board of Education, et al.

Vadosta, Georgia civil rights lawyers represented the Plaintiff who sued on a job discrimination theory.

Rodemaker filed his first lawsuit, Rodemaker I, in federal court in April 2020. It named as defendants the five black members of the Valdosta Board of Education - Warren Lee, Liz Shumphard, Tyra Howard, Debra Bell, and Kelisa Brown - in

heir individual capacities. It claimed racial discrimination in violation of 42 U.S.C. §§ 1981 and 1983 against all five defendants, seeking monetary damages and attorney's fees.



The Rodemaker I complaint alleged that Rodemaker had been the head football coach at Valdosta High School in Georgia, where he once won the State 6A Championship and twice made it to the State 6A quarterfinals. He had also been a gym teacher at Valdosta and had "accepted a school contract with the Valdosta Board of Education on an annual basis for each of the last ten years." As both a football coach and teacher, his "reviews and reputation [were] exemplary."



In January 2020, the contracts of 151 teachers and coaches were up for annual renewal by the Valdosta Board of Education. According to the complaint, the racial makeup of the Board "had recently changed" from five white members and four black members to four white members and five black members.



When it came time to renew the teachers' and coaches' contracts, board member Lee moved to consider Rodemaker's contract separately from the 150 other contracts up for renewal. All 150 other contracts were renewed. But by a 5-4 margin along racial lines, the Board voted not to renew Rodemaker's contract. None of the board members who voted against renewing Rodemaker's contract provided any reason for their decision.



The Board held a second vote on Rodemaker's contract in February 2020, but the Board again voted along racial lines not to renew the contract. At the meeting, white board member Kelly Wilson stated that "the actions of the School Board with regard to Coach Rodemaker were not only improper, but probably illegal." Rodemaker contended that his contract was not renewed because the black board members wanted to hire a black football coach. He claimed that "the conspiracy to non-renew Coach Rodemaker occurred in illegal meetings" with the black board members.

Motion for summary judgment granted.



Affirmed on appeal.