Tammy Ferry v. the Board of Education of the Jefferson City Public School District

Summary

The Missouri Supreme Court vacated the circuit court’s reversal and affirmed the Jefferson City School Board’s decision to terminate Tammy Ferry’s contract. The Court held that Ferry’s transfer of confidential student records to her personal Google account constituted a FERPA disclosure, that the Board was authorized by the Teacher Tenure Act to terminate for a willful violation, and that the Board’s findings were supported by competent and substantial evidence. The decision rests on de novo review of legal questions and a substantial‑evidence standard for factual findings.