Nearly six years after it was filed, the trial of a lawsuit against Hartland Consolidated Schools by a former administrator again has a court date.

Tracey Sahouri sued the district in 2012, alleging it violated the Whistleblower Protection Act when it removed her as principal from Creekside Elementary School. After years of appeals and delays, the case was set to go to trial last October, but was adjourned for discussions over a possible settlement in the case. Those discussions apparently failed as court records now show a new trial date of August 28th has been scheduled in Genesee County Circuit Court.

Sahouri claims her removal as principal and re-assignment to a teaching position was in retaliation for reporting “irregularities” in how the district administered state-mandated student achievement tests. The district had sought to dismiss the lawsuit, taking the case to the Michigan Supreme Court, which declined to hear the appeal, allowing the lawsuit to go forward. The district contends Sahouri’s re-assignment was based on the conclusions of a state report that determined teachers at Creekside improperly gained access to material from the tests.

Sahouri’s attorney alleges Hartland administration led a “out-of-control lynch mob” that “trashed” her career in part due to a ticket she received in the summer of 2011 for allowing a minor to consume alcohol at her Argentine Township home during a graduation party.

The ticket was later dismissed and Sahouri settled a lawsuit over the matter with Argentine Township for $150,000. The district has contended that incident had nothing to do with its decision regarding Sahouri. (JK)