MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The former Memphis-Shelby County Schools Superintendent has filed a civil action lawsuit against the school board for terminating her contract.

On Monday, Dr. Marie Feagins’ attorney, William Wooten, shared documentation of his client’s lawsuit against the members of the MSCS board.

In the document, Dr. Feagins accused the board of having private meetings to fire her and violating the rights of citizens.

It also alleges that the board violated the open meeting act, claiming that it did not give adequate notice to the public to attend the meetings.

The lawsuit said that several board members met on different occasions to discuss her termination and some even texted each other during a school board meeting about what they were going to do.

The suit calls for the termination vote to be voided and asks that the defendants pay Dr. Feagins’ court costs and attorney fees.

It also called for the board to “strictly” abide by the open meetings law in future meetings.

On Tuesday, MSCS issued a statement in response to Dr. Feagins’ lawsuit.

In it, they say they respect Dr. Feagins’ right to pursue legal action but the board will remain focused on their duty to serve the students, families and staff of MSCS.

The Board is committed to transparency and compliance with all applicable laws. As this is an ongoing legal matter, we are limited in what we can publicly discuss. However, we want to reassure our community that we will cooperate fully with the legal process and take any necessary steps to ensure continued adherence to the law.”

Memphis-Shelby County Schools Board Chair Joyce Dorse Coleman