Hilfiker v. Gideon School District 37

James Hilfiker sued Gideon School District # 37 (District), alleging nepotism, age discrimination, and Teacher Tenure Act1 violations. He lost on summary judgment which, for reasons stated herein, we affirm.

Background

District sporadically employed Hilfiker to teach social studies, seven school years *669in total, spread over four decades—1970-72,1974-76,1994-95, and 2007-09.

Throughout the 2007-08 term, which marked Hilfiker’s return from a 12-year absence, the principal repeatedly met with him about performance concerns, including but not limited to technology use. Hilfiker, in his own words,…