Claims Against Rochester Schools Are 'Unfounded,' District Says

ROCHESTER, MI — The parent of two Rochester Community Schools students has filed a lawsuit against the district claiming she lost her job after a member of the district's board of education called her place of employment regarding comments she made on social media in favor of reopening schools amid the coronavirus pandemic.

But the claims made in the lawsuit, which was filed Monday in U.S. District Court Eastern District of Michigan by Elena Dinverno, are "false and unfounded," district spokesperson Lori Grein told Patch late Tuesday.

"What we can tell you is that we all realize that this has been a trying year for many of our school community members, and we recognize that our families may be dealing with this pandemic in very different ways," Grein said in an email. "We wish we could discuss it in detail, but that is not possible now that it is in litigation."

The lawsuit, which alleges first amendment violations, names the district as well as Kristin Bull, the president of the Rochester Community Schools Board of Education, and Superintendent Robert Shaner. It seeks compensatory damages for past and future economic and non-economic damages.

According to the lawsuit, Dinverno was the marketing director of Blake's Hard Cider Co. in Armada, Michigan, when she "began advocating for the reopening of schools" after executive orders by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer closed schools to in-person learning due to the pandemic.

In July or early August 2020, according to the lawsuit, Diverno sought video testimonials from parents and students supporting the idea of reopening schools to in-person learning.

In the fall of 2020, a member of the board of education contacted Dinverno's employer, claiming she was participating in a group "engaged in launching threats against the school district," the lawsuit alleges. The lawsuit names Bull, an employee with Crain's Detroit Business, as the person who allegedly made the call.

"After falsely claiming that Ms. Dinverno was part of a group that was making threats against the school district, Ms. Bull, an employee of Crain’s, noted that Andrew Blake had recently been named one of Crain’s Detroit Business’s '40 under 40,'" the lawsuit reads. "Ms. Bull threatened to revoke the accolade, which was to be announced publicly in November, due to Ms. Dinverno’s alleged conduct."

An associate publisher with Crain's Detroit Business did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Dinverno was fired in December 2020, the lawsuit states, with Andrew Blake telling her position was "no longer necessary." However, a posting for her job was made on LinkedIn a few weeks later, according to the lawsuit.