Former Spotsylvania County Public Schools Superintendent Mark Taylor and the Spotsylvania School Board will come to the table to settle a dispute later this year.
A judge with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia ordered Taylor and the school board to attend a judicial settlement conference on Aug. 27 at 9:30 a.m. Magistrate Judge Summer L. Speight issued the order on May 29.
A settlement conference is a process in which parties meet with a neutral third party, such as a retired judge, to explore options for settling their dispute. The judge actively guides the parties to a mutually satisfactory resolution, but the decision to settle is left to the parties. A settlement conference differs from mediation in that it is typically court-ordered, not voluntary.
Taylor filed a lawsuit against school board members Nicole Cole, Lorita Daniels, Megan Jackson, Carol Medawar and Belen Rodas after they voted to fire him in March 2024. Board members April Gillespie and Lisa Phelps did not support Taylor’s firing, and they are not named in the lawsuit.
Taylor alleged that he was wrongfully terminated because he “organized and implemented” a book fair that promoted Christian literature on Dec. 2, 2023, at Riverbend High School.
Taylor is seeking actual and general damages, compensatory damages, back pay, front pay, equitable relief, and punitive damages. He also requested incidental and consequential costs associated with the termination, including attorney fees and any other relief the court deems appropriate.
Taylor claims his First Amendment rights were violated because the book fair was an expression of those rights. The book fair’s theme showcased conservative Christian authors and critics. Taylor partnered with former TV star and Christian conservative Kirk Cameron, who spoke at the event. He also partnered with SkyTree Book Fairs and Brave Books.
In the suit, Taylor claims he was acting as a private citizen. However, in a video on the social media platform ‘X,’ Cameron promoted the book fair by noting that the Spotsylvania superintendent is putting it on and was replacing Scholastic book fairs with SkyTree in the school division.
A Facebook invitation from Wilderness Tabernacle of Culpeper and then-SCPS Director of Communications and then-Chief of Staff Jon Russell promoted the event by stating “Spotsylvania School Superintendent Mark Taylor invites you to a Christmas book fair with Kirk Cameron.” A Facebook post from the church later thanked “Superintendent Mark Taylor” for hosting the event.
During the three-hour settlement conference, each party must present several documents, including an objective overview of the basic allegations, defenses and relevant facts; a realistic assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of each party’s position; a summary of settlement discussions to date; and a statement of settlement expectations.
If the matter is not settled, the court will inform the designated trial judge that the dispute was not resolved despite good-faith efforts and the case will advance to a trial or other court proceedings.
In another SCPS legal matter, Cole is suing Gillespie and Phelps, alleging malicious prosecution after Cole was accused of assaulting Phelps during a board meeting last May. The assault charge against Cole was dismissed last July.
The Founding Freedom Law Center (FFLC), which represents Gillespie and Phelps, announced on its website that on Monday, in Spotsylvania Circuit Court, a judge ordered Cole’s attorneys to pay its fees.
A release from the law center stated that Cole’s attorney was unresponsive for five months and missed court deadlines. According to the FFLC, the judge did not dismiss Cole’s case, citing public interest.
