MANSFIELD (1080 KRLD) - The lone finalist for Mansfield ISD superintendent is no longer a party to a federal discrimination lawsuit filed by an art teacher.
Stacy Bailey had sued the Mansfield ISD, Superintendent Dr. Jim Vaszauskas and Deputy Superintendent Dr. Kimberley Cantu, claiming that they suspended her after she showed a picture of her and the woman who is now her wife to her elementary school art class.
The lawsuit states that Cantu told Bailey, "You can't promote your lifestyle in the classroom."
On Thursday, a judge ordered Dr. Cantu to be removed as a defendant in the lawsuit, since she was not involved in the decision to suspend Bailey.
"Because the Assistant Superintendent wasn’t the decision-maker and only informed Miss Bailey of the discrimination, she couldn't continue in the lawsuit," says Bailey's attorney, Jason Smith.
Mansfield ISD and Dr. Vaszauskas remain as defendants, and the judge dismissed their motion to dismiss the case.
"The judge's ruling was a very important development in overruling the school district and superintendent’s motion to dismiss," says Smith. "The judge said that Stacy Bailey’s lawsuit could go forward."
Bailey had previously taught at Charlotte Anderson Elementary School; she has since been transferred to Lake Ridge High School, where she continues to teach today.