Haywood County Teacher Dismissed

Haywood County School board’s private meeting yields teacher dismissal

But who is the teacher?

February 19, 2013

The Haywood County School Board has fired a tenured schoolteacher, and the school board’s lawyer says the system isn’t required to release the employee’s name. The action came Tuesday afternoon during a called meeting of the Haywood County School Board that was conducted mostly behind closed doors.

School Board Chairman Harold Garrett recessed the 3:00 pm public meeting to an "executive session" of the board. Garrett refused to allow a reporter to attend the executive session, which was conducted privately in another room, apparently with the school system’s attorney in attendance.

The board resumed their meeting about twenty minutes later and voted unanimously to "dismiss a teacher." The motion to fire did not include the teacher’s name. After the meeting Chairman Garrett told Brownsville Radio that school system attorney Jennifer Craig told board members their private meeting was within the law, and not disclosing the teacher’s identity was also appropriate. Craig is affiliated with a Jackson Tennessee law firm.

School Superintendent Teresa Russell told the board she was charging the teacher with conduct unbecoming the teaching profession, insubordination and neglect of duty.

Board members said they also discussed other legal matters with their lawyer, but did not disclose the subjects.