Ivy Tech will host Indiana Court of Appeals hearing
Comet staff report

In an effort to bring the workings of the judicial system closer to the people it serves, the Indiana Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments in the case of American Arbitration Assoc. et al v. North Miami Community Schools at 10 a.m. on April 10 in the Ivy Hall NCHS Auditorium at Ivy Tech Community College in Lafayette. The public is invited to attend.

Donald Davis, former principal of North Miami Elementary School, was reassigned as a teacher and the school agreed to provide certain insurance and retirement benefits to Davis. The North Miami Educational Association filed a grievance and a demand for arbitration, alleging that the agreement constituted individual bargaining with a teacher in violation of the collective bargaining agreement. The school filed a motion to dismiss and also filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent arbitration. The trial court granted the school's motion for a preliminary injunction that prevented arbitration proceedings. A three-judge panel will hear an appeal of the preliminary injunction.

Each side will be given 20 minutes to argue their case. Often, the judges will ask questions during the presentation. The panel of judges will take the arguments under advisement and issue an opinion in the near future.

Following the hearing, the judges will respond to general questions about the legal system from the audience. Due to the Code of Judicial Conduct, they will not be able to answer any specific questions about the case. No photographs, videotaping or sound recording will be allowed during the hearing.