Teacher suspended after improper student search - WALB.com, Albany News, Weather, Sports

Teacher suspended after improper student search

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By Tara Herrschaft - bio | email
Flood's attorney Howard Stiller later today Flood's attorney Howard Stiller later today

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ALBANY, GA (WALB) -

A Dougherty County teacher's job is on the line after she was suspended for pulling down a kindergartner's pants and inspecting the student's genitals without a witness.

The school board plans to hold a hearing to determine if she should be fired... But her attorney wants to stop that.

Deborah Flood was teaching at Sylvester Road Elementary School when the incident occurred.  The Professional Standards Commission conducted their own investigation and have suspended her until March 25th.

Flood is accused of taking a kindergarten student to the faculty bathroom, to examine the child's private areas after the student complained of pain in the genital area. The report says Flood did this without a witness and without alerting an administrator.

The commission suspended her certificate for 15 contract days- from March fourth until the 25th.

"That break is sufficient to terminate her contract," said Tommy Coleman, Dougherty County School System Attorney. "The superintendent has chosen to provide her with notice that she was going to be terminated from the Dougherty County school system."

"The current superintendent is seeking to use that though as the basis for terminating her contract," said Flood's attorney Howard Stiller. "And it's our position that she has already faced punishment from the school system before the Professional Standards Commission ever got involved."

Howard Stiller says the previous superintendent, Dr. Joshua Murfree tried to suspend her fifteen days for this incident, but that was lifted because he went about it inappropriately. So her punishment was being moved to Magnolia Elementary school.

Stiller says he is currently looking at legal action to stop the hearing. Tommy Coleman, the school system attorney says Flood has had other offenses in her background and that also plays a factor in holding a termination hearing.

The hearing is currently scheduled for Friday, March 22.

The report can be read here.

 

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