LIBERTY &045; Former Amite County High School Principal and renowned track coach Charlie Floyd has sued the Amite County School District and other defendants for $10 million in compensatory damages, according to a federal complaint filed on his behalf.

The suit, filed Feb. 6 in the United States District Court in Jackson, also names the Amite County School Board, individual board members John Davis and Beachum Williams, ACHS special programs director Mary Russ and &uot;John Does 1-10&uot; as defendants.

Floyd’s suit, which represents one side of a legal argument, alleges the defendants made false accusations against him and wrongfully terminated him from his position as ACHS principal, causing him economic and emotional distress and damaging his reputation.

The suit claims Russ, serving in the summer of 2002 as interim school superintendent, &uot;either acting alone or conspiring with employees and/or representatives of the ACSD, maliciously, intentionally, willfully, and/or negligently engaged in a campaign to defame and emotionally damage Coach Floyd.&uot;

Floyd alleges school officials violated the terms of his contract by forcing him to choose between his positions as track coach and principal after adopting a &uot;no dual roles&uot; policy in August of 2002.

Floyd, who is black, claims his termination was motivated by &uot;racial animus&uot; among other black school officials who objected to him training white children from private schools on ACHS school grounds during his time off.

Floyd’s suit also alleges the defendants defamed him by making false accusations against him to third parties, including accusations that were published in newspapers and on the internet.

Floyd also accuses Russ of ordering his family heirlooms and track accolades removed from his office at ACHS and destroyed.

Floyd also seeks punitive damages in accordance with state law and reimbursement of his attorneys’ fees.

He is represented by New Orleans attorney Gregg Spyridon. The school district is represented by Jackson attorney Jim Keith.

Floyd was suspended in October 2002 and later dismissed amid an investigation of alleged irregularities at ACHS, including unexplained changes to student grades and unauthorized fines for student tobacco use, among other allegations.

But in a four-day appeal hearing last April, no evidence was presented that Floyd changed any grades or urged others to do so. It was also established in the hearings that the school’s tobacco policy pre-dated Floyd’s administration.

Still, the school board voted in July to uphold Floyd’s termination. Floyd appealed that decision in Amite County Chancery Court and won his reinstatement last October.

An interim principal had since been appointed at ACHS, and Floyd has not yet returned to the job.