Former Rockford athletic director says he was fired during mental health crisis

Former Rockford Public Schools athletic director Mathew Parker has filed a wrongful termination lawsuit in federal court saying that school officials knew he was suffering a mental health crisis when he was fired in December 2021.

The case filed by Northbrook attorney Steven Glink in U.S. District Court in Rockford says Parker suffers from bipolar disorder, anxiety and depression. Glink argues Parker was experiencing manic symptoms when he was fired and much of the erratic behavior cited as the basis for his termination was a result of his illness.

"They knew he was hospitalized and suffering from bipolar disorder, and we asked them to delay the dismissal process until he was better," Glink said. "They didn't."

Parker's request for leave under the Family & Medical Leave Act was rejected.

His "wife, attorney, co-workers, colleagues and various family members" told officials including Superintendent Ehren Jarrett and Human Resources Director Zediker about his mental health condition. They pleaded with the officials to delay a pre-termination hearing and a Board of Education vote to fire him until after he could be hospitalized and treated, Glink said.

"The BOE refused and voted to terminate his employment," Glink said.

Parker worked a decade for Rockford Public Schools after being hired in August 2011. He was removed as athletic director with little explanation in 2021 with Parker saying "it's not my choice." Parker was credited with bringing elite boys basketball teams from California, Florida, Ohio, Indiana and Michigan to Rockford with the 205 Tip-Off Classic and the Chicagoland Summer Showcase.

A December 2021 termination letter from Rockford Public Schools says that in the weeks before Parker was fired, he had made unusual demands and sought a second job working as a consultant for a sports company.

It said he had wanted to work for the private sports company while remaining "on the clock" at his Rockford Public Schools job. It also cites an incident in which Parker is alleged to have berated a Rockford Convention & Visitors Bureau employee in an email for not promoting an event to his liking.

Parker was accused of taking time off from his job on a "date" with his wife without requesting vacation time and then refusing to report to work. There were also allegations that he had made unauthorized purchases such as transportation for students from East St. Louis to Rockford for the Tip-Off Classic tournament. And also paying for meals and hotel stays for non-district personnel and students for the tournament.

Rockford Public Schools officials declined to comment on a pending legal matter.

Glink said those purchases were made through proper school district channels. Other school district allegations "were a manifestation of his disability" and others were a "pretext for Parker's dismissal."

The lawsuit says the termination was a violation of Parker's rights to reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act by not delaying a hearing or the vote on his firing.

Parker is seeking about $300,000 in damages, back pay and attorney's fees.

Jeff Kolkey writes about government, economic development and other issues for the Rockford Register Star. He can be reached at (815) 987-1374, via email at jkolkey@rrstar.com and on Twitter @jeffkolkey.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Rockford schools employee says mental health episode led to firing