Marie Jarry sues for job after Howard Stern radio

Marie Jarry, the former second-grade teacher who resigned abruptly in May after taking a paid sick day to appear on the "Howard Stern Show," is suing school officials and claims she was forced into resigning.

The suit was filed June 27 in U.S. District Court in Hartford and claims Jarry was denied due process, including the right to contest any charges against her.

Jarry is demanding that she be reinstated and receive back pay from when she resigned. Named in the suit are the board of education, Superintendent of Schools Joseph Erardi and the Southington Education Association, which is the teachers union.

"The plaintiff's discharge was orchestrated by the Southington Education Association, Erardi and the board of education, who working together intimidated and coerced her with threats to resign in lieu of termination," the suit states.

<!-- END rail --> Erardi declined Monday to comment on the suit, as did union President Richard Terino and Connecticut Education Association spokeswoman Kathy Frega.

Jarry, of Farmington, had taught at Thalberg School for five years. On May 1, she and her husband appeared on the shock jock's show and participated in a contest called "Ugliest Guy, Hottest Wife." They won it and a $5,000 prize.

According to school records, Jarry had called in sick the day the contest was aired.

According to the lawsuit, Jarry went to work on May 2 and heard nothing about the incident. But on May 5, the principal at Thalberg ordered her not to go to her classroom and to meet with Erardi later that day.

At the request of Southington Education Association leaders, Jarry met with lawyers for the Connecticut Education Association. That meeting happened before she met with Erardi, and according to the lawsuit, CEA lawyers told her she should resign from her teaching post. They told Jarry that she had violated a morality clause in the teachers' contract with the board, that she could be arrested for defrauding the school system and could lose her teaching certificate.

Jarry then met with Erardi, and according to the lawsuit, she believed it was simply so he could investigate the situation. But she ended up resigning, which she says was done under duress.

When asked about the morality clause of the teachers contract, Erardi said the contract requires that they comply with the state's code of professional responsibility for teachers. Among the code's provisions are that teachers behave professionally and bear in mind that their actions reflect on the entire profession. The code also prohibits teachers from lying.

Published July 8th, 2008

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