DCSS suspends Lyons, but renews contract - WALB.com, Albany News, Weather, Sports

Update:

Three Dougherty County teachers named in the state CRCT cheating report will keep their jobs.

School board members voted Wednesday to reinstate the contracts for Nikki Lyons, Adrienne Savage and Beverly Knighton Harris.

A tribunal panel recommended the board not renew Lyons contract, but members reinstated her with a 40 contract day suspension. It's retroactive, so she'll head back to work immediately. Lyons was a first year, fourth grade teacher at Turner Elementary. 

Lyons was originally offered a deal before her tribunal hearing, but she didn't except it and wanted to have her own hearing.

"Her situation was unique.  It was an effort to be fair across the board with everybody. And there was reason to think that maybe the tribunal had not taken into consideration her background and exactly what she had done in relationship to the other employees," said Carol Tharin, school board member.

"Everybody can have an opinion, but the facts were not there to prove that these people cheated. And that's why I made a recommendation as the superintendent to return those great teachers back to the classroom," said Superintendent Joshua Murfree. 

The board agreed with the tribunal on the other two recommendations.

Savage's contract will be renewed, with no suspension. Savage is a former West Town Elementary School teacher.

Knighton Harris was suspended for 40 contract days, but that's retroactive so she'll go back to work immediately.  She is a former first grade teacher at Sylvester Road Elementary

The board has not yet assigned the teachers new positions.

The CRCT cheating scandal, which began in 2009, is now coming to a close.  There are no more tribunal hearings scheduled and the board has voted on all of the panel's recommendations.

"I think it's long overdue. Unfortunately it's a very lengthy process, but it has to be lengthy in order to be fair and give everybody their say and their time in court, so to speak. It's nice that it appears to be over at this point and it's time to move on," said Tharin.

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The Dougherty County School Board went into executive session about noon to discuss the status of Nikki Lyons, a former fourth grade teacher at Turner Elementary, and two others. 

Lyons will get her contract back, but will be suspended for 40 school days, retroactively, and she will go back to work. That motion passed unanimously.

Adrienne Savage's contract was also renewed with no suspension, as recommended by the tribunal. 

Beverly Knighton Harris had her contract renewed with 40-day suspension, also retroactively and she will go back to work immediately. 

Lyons was questioned in the initial investigation about what could have caused the high number of wrong to right erasures on the CRCT in her classroom.  She admitted to telling students to look over their work again, and using positive reinforcement. 

Her attorney, Howard Stiller, says that was her first year as a teacher and she didn't receive proper training. But the tribunal said factual evidence is why they ruled in the school system's favor. 

The school system's attorney and the attorneys for six other teachers who were accused of similar cheating methods came to a settlement of a 40 contract day suspension. And the tribunal agreed on the deal. 

A tribunal panel agreed with the superintendent's recommendation not to renew Lyons' contract.

The board is not bound by that, and could vote to renew or not, on their own authority.

The official board meeting will begin when executive session is over.

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