PROVIDENCE — The Providence Teachers Union says the school district should be held in contempt of court, claiming that it violated a court order involving class size.

The suit, filed Tuesday in Providence County Superior Court, says that the district has failed to appoint someone to monitor class sizes. The union referred to a 1996 ruling by Superior Court Judge Richard Israel, who told the district to create a team made up of one representative from the union and one from the administration to resolve issues around over-enrolled classes.

On Friday, PTU President Steve Smith said that the School Department has not responded to the union’s requests to appoint someone to the position. The first letter, which informed the department of the union’s representative, was mailed on Sept. 4, but union leaders said there was no response.

A week later, PTU executive director Paul Vorro said that he contacted Brady’s office to find out the district’s class-size representative and again, he said, there was no response.

“This has never been an issue before,” Smith said Friday. “The ball is in their court. How much more do we have to do?”

The School Department could not be reached for comment.

This is just the latest example of the deteriorating relationship between the 2,000-member teachers union and Supt. Tom Brady. In August, the union filed a suit in federal court that seeks to prevent the district from abolishing seniority as the primary method by which teacher vacancies are filled.

In February, former state Education Commissioner Peter McWalters ordered the district to establish a new set of standards to determine whether an individual teacher is a good match for the job. McWalters’ corrective order effectively cleared the way for Brady to replace seniority with an extensive application and interview process led by the school principal.

The new hiring system began this fall at six pilot schools, including the new Career and Technical Academy and the renovated Nathan Bishop Middle School on the city’s East Side.

In its suit, the union claims that the state education commissioner doesn’t have the authority to overrule collective bargaining agreements. But McWalters, in his order, said that he can assert his authority in a failing school system under both the federal No Child Left Behind act and a state law called progressive support and intervention.

lborg@projo.com