08-004726TTS Sarasota County School Board vs. Virgil Mae
 Status: Closed
Recommended Order on Wednesday, December 24, 2008.


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Summary: Respondent abandoned his job and failed to meet the requirements for employment.

1STATE OF FLORIDA

4DIVISION OF ADMINISTRATIVE HEARINGS

8SARASOTA COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD, )

13)

14Petitioner, )

16)

17vs. ) Case No. 08-4726

22)

23VIRGIL MAE, )

26)

27Respondent. )

29)

30RECOMMENDED ORDER

32On November 6, 2008, an administrative hearing in this case

42was held in Sarasota, Florida, before William F. Quattlebaum,

51Administrative Law Judge, Division of Administrative Hearings.

58APPEARANCES

59For Petitioner: Hunter W. Carroll, Esquire

65Matthews, Eastmoore, Hardy

68Crauwels & Garcia, P.A.

721777 Main Street, Suite 500

77Sarasota, Florida 34236

80For Respondent: Virgil Mae, pro se

861575 20th Street

89Sarasota, Florida 34234

92STATEMENT OF THE ISSUE

96The issue in the case is whether the Sarasota County School

107Board (Petitioner) has cause for terminating the employment of

116Virgil Mae (Respondent).

119PRELIMINARY STATEMENT

121By letter dated August 25, 2008, the Petitioner notified

130the Respondent that the Petitioner intended to terminate the

139Respondent's employment. The Respondent filed a request for

147hearing. The Petitioner forwarded the request to the Division

156of Administrative Hearings, which scheduled and conducted the

164proceeding.

165At the hearing, the Petitioner presented the testimony of

174three witnesses and had Exhibits numbered 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6

186admitted into evidence. The Respondent testified on his own

195behalf.

196A Transcript of the hearing was filed on November 19, 2008.

207The Petitioner filed a Proposed Recommended Order.

214FINDINGS OF FACT

2171. At all times material to this case, the Respondent was

228employed by the Petitioner as a school bus driver.

2372. The Respondent was subject to the provisions for

"246classified" employees as identified in the Collective

253Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the Petitioner and the

"261Sarasota Classified/Teachers Association."

2643. Under the terms of the CBA, the Petitioner's school bus

275drivers must comply with various requirements including:

282possession of a commercial driver's license (CDL) and automobile

291insurance, passage of an annual health physical, passage of a

"301reflex" or dexterity test, and completion of in-service

309training.

3104. In May of each year, the Petitioner makes physicians

320available to provide health physicals for school bus drivers at

330no charge. In the alternative, the Petitioner pays the

339insurance co-payment for drivers who choose to obtain physicals

348from their personal physicians.

3525. School board policy requires that the reflex test be

362conducted within 30 days of the physical. Accordingly, the

371Petitioner provides reflex testing in May, so that it may be

382completed in conjunction with physicals. The reflex testing is

391also at the Petitioner's expense.

3966. Prior to May of each year, the Petitioner posts flyers

407at the school bus compounds to remind bus drivers of the

418requirements and advise of the dates of the tests. The

428Transportation Department also broadcasts the information

434through a radio dispatch system that provides communications

442links to all drivers. Written notices are also sent to the

453drivers.

4547. Most drivers complete both tests during May, but

463drivers may complete the tests in their own time. If a driver

475chooses to obtain a physical through a private physician, the

485Transportation Department will schedule the reflex test to

493accommodate the driver's physical, so that both are completed

502within 30 days.

5058. The Respondent asserted that he was unaware of the

515requirement that the reflex test be conducted within 30 days of

526the physical, but the greater weight of the evidence establishes

536that he has been a bus driver for the Petitioner since

547October 2003, that he has complied with the annual requirement

557in previous years, and that the policy has not changed during

568the term of his employment.

5739. The evidence further establishes that the Respondent

581had not completed the physical even by the time of the

592administrative hearing.

59410. Each fall, during the week preceding the commencement

603of school, the Petitioner's Transportation Department conducts a

"611Safety School," during which the school bus drivers receive in-

621service training sufficient to meet the relevant requirements

629applicable to drivers.

63211. School bus drivers are paid their regular wages to

642attend Safety School.

64512. On the second day of Safety School, the Petitioner

655conducts a "bid day," through which drivers bid on routes based

666on their employment seniority.

67013. Under the terms of the CBA, school bus drivers must

681have the valid CDL and have completed the health physical and

692in-service training no later than the time of the initial bid.

70314. Article XXI, Section M, of the CBA provides as

713follows:

714An employee who fails to return to duty for

723each of the first three work days of a new

733school year and who fails to notify his/her

741cost center head of his/her intentions will

748be considered to have abandoned his/her job

755and may be terminated.

75915. At the hearing, the Respondent asserted that he did

769not return to work because he believed his insurance had lapsed

780and that his driver's license was suspended and that he was

791trying to resolve the matter so that he could return to work.

803He further asserted that he contacted his supervisor and advised

813him of the matter, by leaving the information with the

823receptionist who answered the calls.

82816. At the hearing, the receptionist acknowledged that the

837Respondent had called, but stated that he declined to leave a

848message or a telephone number to which the supervisor could have

859returned the calls. She testified that according to the "Caller

869ID" telephone number information, the Respondent was calling

877from a storage company.

88117. The evidence establishes that the Respondent did not

890appear for the first three work days of the 2008-2009 school

901year and, in fact, was absent through the first eight days of

913the school year, extending over a two-week period. The

922Respondent's explanation for his failure to return to work lacks

932sufficient credibility and is rejected.

93718. Additionally, the evidence establishes that the

944Respondent failed to obtain the required annual health physical

953or to complete the in-service training prior to bid day and,

964accordingly, was not in compliance with the requirements of the

974CBA.

97519. During his employment by the Petitioner, the

983Respondent has been cited for excessive absences on several

992occasions. At the hearing, the Respondent asserted that the

1001absences were related to health matters. The evidence

1009establishes that the Respondent failed to supply medical

1017documentation for some of the absences, and they were deemed to

1028be "unexcused."

1030CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

103320. The Division of Administrative Hearings has

1040jurisdiction over the parties to and subject matter of this

1050proceeding. §§ 120.569 and 120.57, Fla. Stat. (2008).

105821. The Petitioner has the burden of establishing the

1067facts of the case by a preponderance of the evidence sufficient

1078to warrant termination of the Respondent's employment. McNeill

1086v. Pinellas County School Board , 678 So. 2d 476 (Fla. 2d DCA

10981996); Dileo v. School Board of Dade County , 569 So. 2d 883

1110(Fla. 3d DCA 1990). In this case, the burden has been met.

112222. Section 1012.67, Florida Statutes (2008), provides as

1130follows:

1131Absence without leave. Any district school

1137board employee who is willfully absent from

1144duty without leave shall forfeit

1149compensation for the time of such absence,

1156and his or her employment shall be subject

1164to termination by the district school board.

117123. Article XXI, Section M, of the CBA provides as

1181follows:

1182An employee who fails to return to duty for

1191each of the first three work days of a new

1201school year and who fails to notify his/her

1209cost center head of his/her intentions will

1216be considered to have abandoned his/her job

1223and may be terminated.

122724. In this case, the Respondent failed to return to duty

1238on a timely basis or to provide notice of his intentions to the

1251head of the Petitioner's Transportation Department.

125725. Subsection 1012.45(1), Florida Statutes (2008),

1263provides as follows:

1266Each school bus driver must be of good moral

1275character, of good vision and hearing, able-

1282bodied, free from communicable disease,

1287mentally alert, and sufficiently strong

1292physically to handle the bus with ease, and

1300he or she must possess other qualifications

1307prescribed by the Commissioner of Education,

1313including those qualifications described in

131849 C.F.R. s. 391, relating to physical

1325qualifications and examinations, and

132949 C.F.R. part 40 and part 382, relating to

1338controlled substance and alcohol use and

1344testing, and he or she must hold a valid

1353commercial driver's license with a passenger

1359endorsement.

136026. The Code of Federal Regulation (C.F.R.) references

1368identified in the statute are those related to the completion of

1379health physicals restated within the CBA.

138527. Subsection 316.15(3), Florida Statutes (2008),

1391provides as follows:

1394A person may not operate or cause to be

1403operated a motor vehicle covered by

1409subsection (1) or subsection (2) when

1415transporting school children unless the

1420operator has met the physical examination

1426requirements established by law and by rule

1433of the State Board of Education. The

1440operator of such a motor vehicle shall pass

1448an annual physical examination and have

1454posted in the vehicle a certificate to drive

1462the vehicle.

146428. Florida Administrative Code Rule 6A-3.0141 sets forth

1472the annual physical examination requirements applicable to

1479school bus drivers.

148229. The evidence establishes that, in addition to the

1491Respondent's failure to appear for employment at the beginning

1500of the school year, the Respondent failed to meet the physical

1511examination requirements prior to commencement of the 2008-2009

1519school year and, accordingly, was not eligible for employment as

1529a school bus driver. The failure of the Respondent to complete

1540the physical was not related to any issue regarding lack of

1551insurance or driver's license.

1555RECOMMENDATION

1556Based on the foregoing Findings of Fact and Conclusions of

1566Law, it is RECOMMENDED that the Petitioner enter a final order

1577terminating the employment of Virgil Mae.

1583DONE AND ENTERED this 24th day of December, 2008, in

1593Tallahassee, Leon County, Florida.

1597S

1598WILLIAM F. QUATTLEBAUM

1601Administrative Law Judge

1604Division of Administrative Hearings

1608The DeSoto Building

16111230 Apalachee Parkway

1614Tallahassee, Florida 32399-3060

1617(850) 488-9675

1619Fax Filing (850) 921-6847

1623www.doah.state.fl.us

1624Filed with the Clerk of the

1630Division of Administrative Hearings

1634this 24th day of December, 2008.

1640COPIES FURNISHED :

1643Virgil Mae

16451575 20th Street

1648Sarasota, Florida 34234

1651Hunter W. Carroll, Esquire

1655Matthews, Eastmoore, Hardy

1658Crauwels & Garcia, P.A.

16621777 Main Street, Suite 500

1667Sarasota, Florida 34236

1670Mrs. Lori White, Superintendent

1674Sarasota County School Board

16781960 Landings Boulevard

1681Sarasota, Florida 34231-3365

1684Deborah K. Kearney, General Counsel

1689Department of Education

1692Turlington Building, Suite 1244

1696325 West Gaines Street

1700Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400

1703Dr. Eric J. Smith, Commissioner of Education

1710Department of Education

1713Turlington Building, Suite 1514

1717325 West Gaines Street

1721Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400

1724NOTICE OF RIGHT TO SUBMIT EXCEPTIONS

1730All parties have the right to submit written exceptions within

174015 days from the date of this Recommended Order. Any exceptions

1751to this Recommended Order should be filed with the agency that

1762will issue the Final Order in this case.

Select the PDF icon to view the document.
PDF
Date
Proceedings
PDF:
Date: 01/28/2009
Proceedings: (Agency) Final Order filed.
PDF:
Date: 01/20/2009
Proceedings: Agency Final Order
PDF:
Date: 12/24/2008
Proceedings: Recommended Order
PDF:
Date: 12/24/2008
Proceedings: Recommended Order cover letter identifying the hearing record referred to the Agency.
PDF:
Date: 12/24/2008
Proceedings: Recommended Order (hearing held November 6, 2008). CASE CLOSED.
PDF:
Date: 12/01/2008
Proceedings: Petitioner`s Proposed Recommended Order filed.
Date: 11/19/2008
Proceedings: Transcript filed.
PDF:
Date: 11/19/2008
Proceedings: Petitioner`s Notice of Filing (Transcript of Final Hearing) filed.
Date: 11/06/2008
Proceedings: CASE STATUS: Hearing Held.
PDF:
Date: 10/31/2008
Proceedings: School Board`s Witness and Exhibit List filed.
PDF:
Date: 10/30/2008
Proceedings: Proof of Service filed.
PDF:
Date: 10/13/2008
Proceedings: Order of Pre-hearing Instructions.
PDF:
Date: 10/13/2008
Proceedings: Notice of Hearing (hearing set for November 6, 2008; 9:00 a.m.; Sarasota, FL).
PDF:
Date: 10/07/2008
Proceedings: Petitioner`s Notice of Serving Non-party Subpoena filed.
PDF:
Date: 09/29/2008
Proceedings: Petitioner`s Response to Initial Order filed.
PDF:
Date: 09/22/2008
Proceedings: Initial Order.
PDF:
Date: 09/22/2008
Proceedings: Request for Administrative Hearing filed.
PDF:
Date: 09/22/2008
Proceedings: Notice of Termination filed.
PDF:
Date: 09/22/2008
Proceedings: Agency referral filed.

Case Information

Judge:
WILLIAM F. QUATTLEBAUM
Date Filed:
09/22/2008
Date Assignment:
09/22/2008
Last Docket Entry:
01/28/2009
Location:
Sarasota, Florida
District:
Middle
Agency:
ADOPTED IN TOTO
Suffix:
TTS
 

Counsels

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Related Florida Statute(s) (4):

Related Florida Rule(s) (1):