The attorney for a former South Sevier High School teacher alleged in federal court Monday that school board members said his client practiced "witchcraft" and did not "hide the fact that she prefers the dark side."
There also were complaints from parents that Erin Jensen was "giving ideas" to her students and talking about "different belief systems," attorney Erik Strindberg said.
Those comments were made during opening arguments in the federal trial of the former English teacher, who says she was discriminated against because of her gender and religious status when the Sevier School District terminated her contract.
Strindberg asked a jury of five men and eight women (including one alternate juror) why a woman who was named Teacher of the Year and called by her principal "the finest teacher of literature in the district" would be terminated by the school board — along with the school's only other full-time teacher who was not a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Strindberg told jurors Jensen had dreamed of becoming a teacher since she was a little girl, so she went to school to get a degree in English and her teaching certificate. She spent four years teaching at Bonneville High School in Ogden. Then, once their children had left home, Jensen and her husband moved near Richfield for a change of pace — but Jensen still wanted to teach.
She applied and was hired by the principal at South Sevier High School in the summer of 2000. By 2003, Jensen had gained praise from both students and staff, her attorney said, only to be told her contract would not be renewed.
Jensen and a male non-LDS teacher were replaced by two male teachers who made their religious beliefs (LDS) very clear, her attorney said.
The "witchcraft" comments came during an executive session of the school board, Strindberg said. But he said the minutes were later amended to delete those remarks.
Attorneys for the school district said there were legitimate concerns about Jensen's effectiveness as a teacher. Attorney Kirk Gibbs said school district officials were concerned with the test scores of Jensen's students.
As for the claim she was discriminated against because she is not LDS, Gibbs pointed to a Brigham Young University application, filled out by Jensen, in which she indicated she was an LDS member and even included a letter from her bishop. In a previous hearing, Gibbs argued that information discredits Jensen's claim of religious bias.
The jury is expected to hear testimony from both sides over the next four days and must decide whether there is evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that Jensen was a subject of discrimination.
E-mail: gfattah@desnews.com