READ: Portions Of Letter Teacher Is Accused Of WritingORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- A former Orange County teacher claims her constitutional rights were violated and it was either the office of a local lawmaker, the Governor or the President who is to blame.
Sadler Elementary School teacher Jan Hall was accused of writing a letter that made racist comments about Hispanics, Haitians and other minorities. Her attorney said Tuesday that she wrote the letter to nine public officials and it should never have been made public. Because it was, she said, it cost her her standing and her job.
Jan Hall's lawyer said she sent the letter to nine elected officials: state senators Gary Siplin and Lee Constantine, congressmen Tom Feeney, Dave Weldon and Ric Keller, congresswoman Corrine Brown, U.S. senator Bill Nelson, Governor Bush and Pesident Bush.
Channel 9 called every one of them late Tuesday afternoon and not one of their offices admitted to receiving her letter.
The lawyer now representing the former teacher delivered a letter of intent to sue Tuesday afternoon to the Orange County School Board attorney's office accusing the board of disparagement, slander, libel, trade slander, trade libel and violating her civil rights by suspending her without pay.
"They've demonized her. They've, basically, tried to make her out to be some sort of monster," said Hall's attorney Fred O'Neal.
Her attorney accused the board of ruining her 33-year teaching career, but said she was considering two serious teaching offers from two Central Florida private schools. Hall's attorney said Hall had a right to privacy that one elected official's office has violated.
"She had a right to expect that letter is private. Not her choice to make it public. We'll find out whose decision it was," said O'Neal.
The attorney said he was not sure what prompted Hall to write the nine letters calling for the closing of U.S. borders to immigrants and accusing immigrants and Puerto Rican students of holding the others back, partly because of the language barrier.
Hall is of Scottish-Irish descent.
Two issues related to Jan Hall were to be discussed during a school board meeting Tuesday night, but they were both pulled due to the new developments.
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