Court Hands Partial Defeat to Community College in Discrimination Case

By Jeff Birren, Senior Writer There was a time when school athletic directors could hire and fire with impunity.  Today schools must expect courts to second-guess those decisions. This recently happened to Northwest Mississippi Community College. A decision to terminate the women’s basketball coach triggered claims for both age and racial discrimination. NWMCC filed an unsuccessful motion for summary judgment, but the Opinion virtually promised victory on one claim (Howell v. Nw. Miss.