TALLAHASSEE - A former adjunct professor is suing Tallahassee Community College for disability discrimination.
Abbey Folsom filed a lawsuit on Jan. 27 in the Leon County Circuit Court against the Tallahassee Community College for disability discrimination and violation of Florida Civil Rights Act - retaliation.
According to the lawsuit, Folsom was an adjunct professor at the college on May 22, 2018, when she had an incident with a student, after which it was requested she submit a report. No additional action was taken, she says.
In January 2019, the associate dean removed step stools from her office and upon reporting the incident, Folsom was permitted to retain her disability accommodations, she says. In another incident cited by Folsom, she claims the defendant directed her to the wrong training, making her ineligible to teach hybrid courses. She later found out she would be permitted to take the correct training required to teach hybrid courses, but after completing the training, the defendant failed to reappoint her to her teaching position, the suit says.
Folsom claims in another incident, all of her disability accommodations to make her workplace accessible were removed from her office and upon email correspondence with the defendant, defendant said there was a plan to move her to a different office. Folsom believes the defendant's intent was to vacate her office permanently. Folsom was no longer scheduled to teach any classes following the conclusion of the Spring 2019 semester.
Folsom is represented by Tiffany R. Cruz of Tallahassee.
Leon County Circuit Court filing number 142812252