Laid-off teacher may not sue when replacements hired three years later

Jennifer Powell was a St. Ignace school teacher with 16 years of experience when she was laid-off in 2004.  There were no vacancies for which she was qualified during the following three school years, after which the Board informed her that she was now removed from the school's seniority list. The following spring, four new positions were posted and though Powell applied and was qualified, she was not hired for any.  She filed a grievance against the school, however, the Court of Appeals ultimately determined that her lawsuit was improper because she did not exhaust her administrative remedies:  she needed to object to her status through the collective bargaining grievance channels.