Naval Academy appealing reinstatement of fired professor
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) – The U.S. Naval Academy is appealing a judge’s decision to reinstate a fired English professor who has been a longtime critic of the academy.
The academy, which fired Bruce Fleming last year, informed him of the decision in a letter Wednesday.
A judge on the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board ordered the tenured professor’s reinstatement with back pay last month.
A spokeswoman for the academy says Fleming is to report to the academy next week to receive assignments, such as scholarly research. But Cmdr. Alana Garas says it’s been determined his presence in a classroom would be an “undue disruption to the academic environment.”
In an email, Fleming wrote that the academy is trying to draw the process out as long as possible and will “lose the appeal.”