Evanston/Skokie School District 65 Superintendent Hardy Ray Murphy decided not to overturn the transfer of former King Lab School teacher Vikki Proctor following an appeals meeting Thursday.

“I’ve made a decision,” Murphy said. “She’s been transferred to a new location. King Lab is moving forward.”

In a 40-minute meeting, Proctor, accompanied by District Educators Council Union President Bob Carroll and Illinois Education Association UniServ Director Christy Hagemaster, read a three-page statement explaining why Proctor wished to be reinstated to King Lab, 2424 Lake St.

“I told him that I felt my rights had been violated,” Proctor said. “I do believe that the behavior of the administration is arbitrary. Teachers that have good relationships with their students should be in their classrooms.”

Last month Proctor and two other teachers placed a fake skeleton in the teachers lounge at King Lab to protest new standardized testing mandates set under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

The skeleton, taken from a Spanish classroom, wore a Michael Jordan jersey and was decorated with signs that read, “Not much life but I passed … the test.”

Proctor, as well as Tom Simms and Louise Sprengelmeyer, were formally reprimanded for their actions, which some teachers claimed were racist and depicted a lynching.

Proctor was also moved on Dec. 18 to Family Focus, an alternative school for suspended and expelled students, upon King Lab principal Susan Schultz’s request.

“The (King Lab) principal came forward and made a recommendation that I accepted,” Murphy said. “I support it, and I think she was justified in making that decision.”

Proctor, a social studies and language arts teacher for the past 28 years, said she was the only teacher transferred, and the transfer was due to “a history of political involvement.”

“I’ve always been fairly political,” said Proctor, who maintains that the display was not a form of racism. “But I’ve been appropriately political.”

Proctor said she is waiting for a response from Murphy.

She plans to return to King Lab on Thursday afternoon with Carroll and Hagemaster to reclaim her personnel file. Proctor said Schultz has declined to reveal the file until now.

Proctor said she and Schultz had a good working relationship, but the two had different opinions regarding school policies.

“She firmly believed in No Child Left Behind,” Proctor said. “I don’t agree.”

Schultz declined to comment for this article.

At the Jan. 12 District 65 Board of Education meeting, parents, teachers and students flooded the conference room to show support for Proctor.

Eight members of the audience prepared statements on her behalf and presented them to the board.

“The show of support was really wonderful,” said Proctor, who attended the meeting with her husband. “It’s gratifying and encouraging to me that people see (this) as a First Amendment issue.”

Murphy, however, said the outpouring of support did not affect his position.

“It doesn’t change the situation,” he said. “All of the issues still remain.”

No further meetings are scheduled with the superintendent.

Proctor said she does not know when the situation will be resolved. She said the union filed four grievances on her behalf, and her lawyers are looking over the case to check for unfair labor practices.

She said she still hopes she can return to her students at King Lab.

“I have strong relationships with my students,” she said. “I’m tough with them and I’m proud to be the teacher.”