School Committee v. Robishaw

An arbitrator found that the school committee of Lowell (school committee) did not establish just cause to terminate the employment of Phanna Kem Robishaw, a first-grade teacher dismissed for failure to demonstrate satisfactory English fluency. Thereafter, a judge in the Superior Court granted the school committee’s application to vacate the arbitrator’s award pursuant to G. L. c. 150C, §§ 11 and 12, concluding that the arbitrator’s decision exceeded his authority and violated public policy. Robishaw appealed, and we transferred the case on our own motion. Applying the well-settled…