Published: January 11, 2009 10:12 pm      

School settles with former nurse

Kokomo-Center wanted to avoid ‘expensive litigation’

Kokomo-Center Schools has reached a settlement with a former employee for the equivalent of about three weeks of pay, according to Superintendent Christopher Himsel.

The resolution passed last week by the school board to settle the dispute with former Head Start nurse Connie Vermillion agreed to pay her $2,000, to avoid “protracted and expensive litigation ... despite being firmly convinced that Connie Vermillion’s EEOC claim is without a scintilla of truth or legal merit.”

Himsel said Vermillion filed charges of age discrimination against the school corporation with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission after her employment was terminated in May 2008. He said, though, that Vermillion was older than the person she replaced, and the person hired to replace Vermillion was within a year of Vermillion’s age.

“It was obviously not age discrimination. We were confident we were doing everything correctly.”

According to the resolution, Vermillion was terminated for “long-standing and well-documented personnel issues involving excessive absenteeism and historically poor job performance.”

No phone number was listed for Vermillion in the phone book to reach her for comment.

The $2,000 lump sum payment will be paid from the corporation’s general fund.

Danielle Rush may be reached at (765) 454-8585 or via e-mail at danielle.rush@kokomotribune.com