School to Reinstate Dean Demoted to Gym Teacher After Being Called to Active Duty

U.S. Department of Justice officials say the Warren County Schools have agreed to reinstate a military reservist as dean of students at Warren County Middle School.

The decision settled a lawsuit the Justice Department filed on behalf of U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Dwayne Coffer, alleging that school-district officials had illegally taken away Coffer's job in the summer of 2017 while he was on active duty in the reserves.

It's the second time federal lawyers have sued the Warren County Schools over its treatment of Coffer, and the second time district officials have settled the matter out of court. Similar issues surfaced in 2012.

"Members of our reserves ... are often called away from their civilian jobs in order to provide the security our nation depends on," said Robert Higdon, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina. "These citizen service members should never face losing their jobs or be forced to accept an inferior position when they answer that call."

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