Barnett v. Caldwell

Summary

The court held that a teacher’s student-supervision duties are not categorically discretionary, but that this teacher was entitled to official immunity because the school’s supervision policy was not sufficiently definite to create a ministerial duty. The policy required the teacher to exercise judgment about whether to leave, whom to ask for assistance, and how supervision should be provided, and there was no evidence of actual malice or intent to injure. The court therefore affirmed summary judgment for the teacher and the intermediate appellate decision.