QUIRKY WORLD...Ex-teacher claims she is afraid of young children

USA: A retired teacher who sued a school district, saying administrators discriminated against her because of a phobia that makes her fear young children, has lost her appeal in the federal case.

A three-judge panel of the 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati upheld a lower-court decision that had dismissed Maria Waltherr-Willard’s breach-of-contract claim against Mariemont City Schools. The US District Court also ruled in favour of the school district on her other claims, including age and disability discrimination.

The 63-year-old teacher, who had taught Spanish and French at Mariemont High School in Cincinnati since the 1970s, said she was transferred to a middle school in 2009. Her lawsuit said the schoolchildren triggered her phobia, causing her blood pressure to soar and forcing her to retire in the middle of the 2010-11 school year. Her lawsuit sought unspecified damages.