{"id":2473359,"date":"2025-08-11T13:28:17","date_gmt":"2025-08-11T17:28:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/high-school-teacher-slandered-as-racist-walks-away-with-massive-payout\/"},"modified":"2025-08-11T13:30:18","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T17:30:18","slug":"high-school-teacher-slandered-as-racist-walks-away-with-massive-payout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/high-school-teacher-slandered-as-racist-walks-away-with-massive-payout\/","title":{"rendered":"High School Teacher Slandered as Racist Walks Away with Massive Payout"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhigh-school-teacher-slandered-as-racist-walks-away-with-massive-payout%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2473359&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Daniel Engler, a veteran teacher at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School in Maryland, won a defamation lawsuit against school principal Shelton Mooney after being falsely accused of racism. The Montgomery County Circuit Court ruled that the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/breaking-bombshell-mi-judge-grants-attorney-matt-deperno-permission-to-release-results-of-forensic-examination-on-16-dominion-voting-machines-in-antrim-co-video\/\" title=\"BREAKING BOMBSHELL: MI Judge Grants Attorney Matt DePerno Permission To RELEASE Results Of Forensic Examination On 16 Dominion Voting Machines In Antrim Co.[VIDEO]\">school board<\/a> defamed Engler by labeling an incident involving him as a &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/a-female-muslim-student-claimed-she-was-attacked-in-a-public-place-video-footage-shows-no-assault\/\" title=\"A Female Muslim Student Claimed She Was Attacked In A Public Place. Video Footage Shows No Assault.\">hate-bias incident<\/a>&#8221; based on allegations from two Black students who claimed Engler saeid he could not distinguish them from other Black students. Mooney sent a statement condemning Engler&#8217;s behavior without naming him or giving Engler a chance to respond. Engler, who had taught for 18 years and was placed on leave following the accusation, received $518,000 in damages. He described the incident as humiliating and damaging to his reputation and relationships with students, including losing his role as a club rowing coach. Engler expressed relief at the verdict, emphasizing that teachers should be treated fairly as they are human and make mistakes, and he saw the decision as a vindication of his character. the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/loudoun-county-sexual-assault-victim-files-30-million-lawsuit-against-school-board\/\" title=\"Sexual assault victim sues ... for  million in Loudoun County.\">school board declined<\/a> to comment on the case.  <\/p>\n<div id=\"ld-4686-3758\"><\/div>\n<p><script>(function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:14832835450050406,size:[0, 0],id:\"ld-4686-3758\"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src=\"https:\/\/cdn2.decide.dev\/_js\/ajs.js\";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,\"script\",\"ld-ajs\");<\/script><\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Daniel Engler, a longtime teacher at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School in Maryland, won his defamation lawsuit against school principal Shelton Mooney over an alleged false racism claim.<\/p>\n<p>The teacher will receive $518,000 in damages after a Montgomery County Circuit Court determined that the school board was responsible for defaming him, according to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/bethesdamagazine.com\/2025\/07\/23\/school-board-pay-bcc-high-racism\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bethesda Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>As described by the lawsuit, which was heard in court last month, Engler was trying to settle his <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >10th grade health class<\/a> in February 2023 as he was attempting to learn their names by keeping them in assigned seats.<\/p>\n<p>Two students, both of whom are black, told administrators that Engler told them to sit in their assigned seats because if they did not, he would not be able to tell them apart, per a previous <a href=\"https:\/\/bethesdamagazine.com\/2025\/07\/15\/bcc-teacher-lawsuit-accusations-racism\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">report<\/a> from Bethesda Today.<\/p>\n<p>Mooney sent a community-wide statement two days later, claiming that Engler was responsible for a &ldquo;hate-bias incident.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;A teacher said to several African American students that he was &lsquo;unable to distinguish them from other African American students&rsquo; in the classroom,&rdquo; Mooney claimed.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This is unacceptable and harmful behavior not in alignment with our school or districtwide values of respect and inclusivity.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The complaint from Engler said the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/teacher-throws-fit-christian-school-stands-firm-fires-bragging-attending-drag-show\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">teacher<\/a>, who had worked at the school for 18 years, was neither provided an opportunity to respond nor given notice that the statement would be sent.<\/p>\n<p>Mooney had never identified Engler by name, but word reportedly spread in the community that he was the teacher in question.<\/p>\n<p>According to the lawsuit, Mooney allegedly failed to follow school district policy with respect to similar incidents in the school, such as students raising accusations of anti-Semitism toward a teacher in 2022.<\/p>\n<p>Engler had been placed on leave after the purportedly racist comment, which was the same day Mooney sent out the statement.<\/p>\n<p>After the decision and the $518,000 award in his favor, Engler told Bethesda Today that the verdict was &ldquo;a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/u-s-judge-ore-vaccinate-inmates-before-seniors-teachers\/\" title=\"U.S. Judge: Ore. vaccinate inmates before seniors, ...s\">tremendous relief<\/a>.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>He told the outlet that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/florida-teacher-fired-desperate-attempt-smear-desantis-backfires\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">teachers<\/a> are &ldquo;human and are not mistake-free and have good hearts, and they should be treated that way.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I believe this verdict is an illustration that what I&rsquo;m saying is true,&rdquo; he continued, &ldquo;so that means a great deal to me.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>A spokeswoman for the school board declined to comment when asked about the case by Bethesda Today.<\/p>\n<p>Engler had testified in court that the incident was humiliating.<\/p>\n<p>He reported that the claims against him ruined his reputation and his relationships with his students, as well as led to his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/christian-teacher-fired-objecting-california-schools-transgender-policies-gets-last-laugh\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">dismissal<\/a> as coach of the club rowing team.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ]; 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A Montgomery County Circuit Court ruled that the school board defamed Engler, awarding him $518,000 in damages, according to Bethesda Today<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2473360,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Racism-Settlement.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[48635,61080,61081,50526,21537],"class_list":["post-2473359","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-defamation-case","tag-high-school-teacher","tag-legal-payout","tag-racism-2","tag-slander"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Racism-Settlement.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2473359","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2473359"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2473359\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2473363,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2473359\/revisions\/2473363"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2473360"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2473359"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2473359"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2473359"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}