Park City High School’s former dance teacher formally dropped a lawsuit against the school district after the Utah State Board of Education suspended her teaching license for two years.
Melanie Hiatt had worked part time as a dance teacher for the high school since August 2023, according to documents filed in Third District Court. In addition to her teaching contract, she held two special assignment contracts employing her as the cheerleading head coach and dance company director.
The two special assignment contracts weren’t set to expire until June 30, but Hiatt received a letter from Chief Human Resources Director Craig Jensen on April 21 placing her on paid administrative leave, effective immediately. The letter stated the disciplinary action was because the Utah Professional Practices Advisory Commission planned to recommend the Utah State Board of Education suspend Hiatt’s teaching license on May 1 for a period of two years.
If Hiatt’s license were suspended, the letter added, her employment with the Park City School District would be terminated.
Hiatt filed a lawsuit against the school district the next day, claiming the district erred in its decision to place her on administrative leave before the Utah State Board of Education made a final decision.
She later voluntarily withdrew her lawsuit on May 6, citing state law outlining a plaintiff’s ability to dismiss a case if the defendant has not yet responded to the complaint in court. The Park City School District had not filed an answer to Hiatt’s complaint by May 6, despite Jensen and his attorneys submitting supporting documents shortly after the lawsuit was filed.
The voluntary dismissal paperwork does not indicate the reasoning behind the decision, and attorneys representing Hiatt have not responded to inquiries regarding the case as of Monday afternoon.
The Utah Professional Practices Advisory Commission is “a committee of nine educators and two community members charged with maintaining and promoting a high standard of professional conduct and ethics among Utah teachers.” The advisory committee reviews reports of misconduct and recommends licensing changes and disciplinary actions to the Utah State Board of Education, the governing body overseeing the state’s public education system.
The committee’s investigation into Hiatt allegedly stemmed from concerns raised by her previous employer, Providence Hall Charter School, regarding “boundary violations and bullying behavior with a student.”
In documents submitted to the court by Jensen and his attorneys, Jensen called bullying and boundary violation complaints “among the most concerning and significant conduct violations” for a school district to consider.
“I concluded, and Superintendent (Lyndsay) Huntsman agreed, that the UPPAC recommendation, which was reached only after a hearing, was a sufficient basis to determine that Ms. Hiatt had more likely than not committed the boundary violation and bullying infractions … and that, therefore, it was in the best interest of the District and its students to place Ms. Hiatt on paid leave pending final action by USBE,” Jensen wrote.
Dozens of high school students and their parents attended a school board meeting on April 8, two weeks before Hiatt was placed on administrative leave, to ask the board to reconsider extending Hiatt’s contract. They said she had worked hard to boost the teams to a competitive level and hiring a new coach would potentially gut the program, taking away from the students’ academic and athletic experiences.
Hiatt in her complaint mentioned the dance company’s final performances started on May 1 and claimed her removal so close to the end of the school year “left the students without their coach and mentor at the most critical point of preparation, causing irreparable harm to the students’ preparation, morale and the continuity of their educational experience.”
Jensen said in his response he understood the detrimental effect removing a teacher has on students, but he again pointed to the district’s decision to potentially fire Hiatt on May 1, the same day as the Utah State Board of Education meeting and the final dance performance, if the state board voted to suspend Hiatt’s license.
The Utah State Board of Education ultimately voted to suspend Hiatt’s professional license for two years on May 1. The Park City School District confirmed Monday that Hiatt is no longer employed by the district.
The dance team still held its final performances on May 1 and May 2.