Case filed by longtime principal of King Center Charter School dismissed

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A state supreme court case filed by longtime King Center Charter School (KCCS) Principal Antoinette Radford against the school to get her job back was dismissed Wednesday.

Petitioners Radford, Assistant Principal Joellen Thurman, Dean Brandon Thurman, and Director of Curriculum Jessica Schaefer said in the lawsuit that their positions should be restored. Schaefer resigned after her coworkers seemed to be abruptly fired in June.

However, according to the court, “It is undisputed that the Petitioners’ employment contracts with KCCS expired on June 30, 2025.” The supreme court went on to say that Radford, Thurman and Thurman met with the chair of the Board of Trustees six days prior and were told that their contracts would not be renewed with Schaefer resigning in response.

Around July 1, petitioners argued in a letter to the school that the decision not to renew their contracts was done “without severance, without due process, and without clear or transparent justification.”

A rally was held at the school soon after in support of the petitioners. Rallygoers described the staff members as the “Fantastic Four” with over 50 years of combined service. One parent said her children were “heartbroken” by the layoffs.

In its final decision, the court cited the Charter Schools Act, which says “the board of trustees of the charter school shall have final authority for policy and operational decisions of the school.”