Fort Smith School District settles for over half a million dollars after lawsuit claims racial discrimination in firing

Felix Curry, the former head football coach at Northside High School in Fort Smith, has reached a $525,000 settlement with the Fort Smith School District, according to an announcement from his attorney, Joey McCutchen.

The agreement resolves a lawsuit Curry filed after the district removed him from his roles as head football coach and campus athletic coordinator and reassigned him to serve as a detention class monitor. The reassignment occurred suddenly and without explanation, the announcement stated. Curry challenged the move as unlawful and alleged that the district’s treatment of him, including its decision not to renew his contract, stemmed from racial discrimination.

Curry was the first African American head coach in the Fort Smith School District. According to the announcement and materials filed in the case, including sworn deposition testimony from district administrators, he was treated differently from similarly situated white head coaches who retained their positions for additional seasons despite comparable or substantially worse win-loss records.

The announcement further stated that Curry received no negative performance reviews, evaluations or documented complaints during his entire tenure at Northside High School. Under his leadership, the program developed initiatives aimed at helping students succeed both on the field and as productive adults.

In a statement, Curry said he is grateful to current Superintendent Marty Mahan and the Fort Smith Public School District for attempting to right a wrong. He added that he is excited to move on to the next chapters of his life, both professionally and personally.

McCutchen, who represented Curry, said it was a pleasure to assist the coach during one of the most challenging times in his life.

He described Curry as a man of character and passion who cares about the community, the school district and the thousands of players he coached and mentored over 12 years in Fort Smith and a 31-year coaching career. McCutchen added that the next school to hire Curry will be fortunate.