Hartland Schools Seeks Dismissal of Sahouri Lawsuit

Hartland Consolidated Schools will be seeking a dismissal of the lawsuit brought by former Creekside principal Tracey Sahouri, when oral arguments are presented in the Genesee County Circuit Court on Sept. 23.

The district placed the request shortly after rejecting a recommended proposed $525,000 pretrial settlement with Sahouri earlier this year, according to the Press & Argus.

In 2011, the Hartland Board of Education voted 6-0 for the non-renewal of Sahouri’s administrative contract. Sahouri, who was then a vice-principal at Hartland High School, was transferred there in November 2011 after allegations that she mishandled the MEAP test during her time at Creekside. 

In the lawsuit, which was filed in April 2012, Sahouri sued the school district for slander and libel, invasion of privacy and gross negligence and claiming the district "spoon-fed" information to the press with a "reckless disregard of the truth,” according to a previous report. The lawsuit also alleges that the school system violated the Whistleblower Protection Act by not renewing her administrative contract.

After rejecting the settlement last May, Hartland Schools released a statement saying, “the Board of Education stands by the personnel decision made as a result of these investigations." 

Sahouri is currently a study-skills and special-education teacher at LEGACY and a mentoring teacher for the district’s Michigan Virtual School program.