Lorlene Go Case Study

Lorlene Go, married, 30 years old a schoolteacher in the Elementary Department of well-known private school ATLANTIS. She was assigned to teach Reading, Mathematics, Language and Pilipino in the Grade VI class.

Sometime in June 2015, Mr. Oscar Mill, ATLANTIS Grade School Headmaster, sent a letter to Lorlene informing her about the complaints of two (2) parents for alleged use of corporal punishment on her students. She claimed that she was not informed of the identity of the parents who allegedly complained of the corporal punishment she purportedly inflicted in school-year 2014-2015. She likewise claimed that she was not confronted about it by ATLANTIS in 2014 and that it was only two (2) years after the complaints were made that she discovered, through her students and their parents, that ATLANTIS was soliciting complainants to lodge written complaints against her.

So she wrote a letter to Mr. Oscar Mill, demanding that she be formally informed of the complaint and be duly investigated.

Lorlene was informed of the composition of an investigative committee organized by Mr. Oscar Mill, to look into the alleged use of corporal punishment by petitioner in disciplining her students. It can be gleaned from the records that she was duly furnished with the rules of procedure, informed of the schedule of the hearings, and given copies of the affidavits executed by the students who testified against her. Lorlene refused to take part in the investigation unless the rules of procedure laid down by the Committee be revised, contending that the same were violative of her right to due process.

But the Committee was steadfast in its resolve to adopt the aforementioned rules. In its letter, Mr. Oscar Mill informed Lorlene that the rules of procedure to be applied were “substantially the same rules that were used in the investigation of a former ATLANTIS employee and therefore we are under legal advice not to change these rules. Over the objection of Lorlene Go, the Committee commenced with its investigation without Lorlene’s participation. Out of the twenty-two (22) invitations sent out by ATLANTIS to petitioner’s students and their parents to shed light on the matter of corporal punishment allegedly “administered” by her, eleven (11) appeared and testified before the committee. The eleven (11) witnesses also executed written statements denominated as “affidavits.”

On 03 December 2015, Mr. Oscar Mill served a Notice of Termination to Lolene Go pursuant to the findings and recommendation of the Committee. Thereafter, Lorlene received a letter from the president of ATLANTIS demanding her voluntary resignation a week from receipt of the letter, otherwise, she would be considered resigned from the service.

1. Does the act of Mr. Oscar Mill proper in terminating Lolerne Go?
2. Whether or not Mr. Oscar Mill violate the rights of Lorlene Go?
3. Did Mr. Oscar Mill exercised the due process of law against Lorlene Go?