‘Very substantial’ settlement reached in lawsuit against Jackson County superintendent

A lawsuit against the Jackson County School District and its superintendent, John Strycker, was dismissed in federal court Wednesday after the district agreed to settle for an undisclosed amount with former assistant superintendent Mary Tanner.

Tanner will remain employed by the district until August 31, her attorney, Chuck McRae, told the Sun Herald.

In her lawsuit, as well as in a complaint to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, she alleged the school district’s superintendent John Strycker had discriminated against her on the basis of her age and gender.

Tanner also accused Strycker of depriving her of due process in the investigation of an anonymous complaint of misconduct against her, which was used to justify her reassignment to a different position.

All of Tanner’s claims have now been settled, and the EEOC complaint was withdrawn.

“She was able to stand up for her rights and, as a result, they had to pay,” McRae said.

The settlement was hashed out between the two parties’ attorneys on May 12, at the case’s first hearing in court, during a nearly five-hour negotiation behind closed doors in George County Chancery Court judge Mark Maples’ chambers.

Six of Tanner’s sisters and two of her brothers-in-law were in attendance in the courtroom’s spectator seating to support her. Strycker’s former secretary Melissa Rayborn, who resigned due to what she said was a hostile work environment, was also present.

As part of the agreement, Tanner was barred from disclosing the details of the settlement.

“I can’t tell you the amount. I know that my client’s very happy, I’ll put it that way,” said McRae. He also described the sum Tanner will receive as “very substantial.”

Jackson County School Board chairman J. Keith Lee did not respond to an email inquiry asking how much the settlement amounted to. Board attorney Jack Pickett also did not respond to requests for comment.

“Mary Tanner was a dedicated employee who’d spent 39 years in the system. She grew up being educated in the system and came back home,” said McRae, who was board attorney for the Jackson County School District from 1977 to 1990.

This story was originally published June 16, 2022 at 5:50 AM.