District 191 Teacher Files Injury Lawsuit Against District

A teacher at a Burnsville elementary school has filed suit against the school district over a January 2010 accident in which she slipped on ice and fell while dropping her daughter off for day care.

Courteney Ivory, who teaches third grade at Vista View Elementary School, is asking for more than $50,000 in the lawsuit, filed last week in Dakota County District Court.

According to the suit, Ivory was carrying her daughter into Sioux Trail Elementary School in Burnsville on Jan. 25, 2010, when she slipped and fell on a “ridged and hummocked” patch of ice covered by snow in the school’s parking lot.

The lawsuit alleges that District 191 was negligent in maintaining the property and “allowing a dangerous condition to exist” on the premises.

As a result of the accident, Ivory suffered “severe and permanent injuries,” according to the lawsuit. She has also suffered emotional stress, “past and future pain and suffering” and past and future medical expenses, the suit says.

Ruth Dunn, communications director for District 191, said Thursday that she couldn’t comment on the lawsuit specifically. “There’s been an accident claim, and it’s moving through our system with our insurance people,” she said. “There are no other comments I can make.”

According to the Minnesota Department of Education, Ivory has a valid license to teach in elementary schools through June 30, 2015. Vista View Elementary School’s webpage shows Ivory as a third-grade teacher at the school.