TEACHER ARREST POLICY DEBATED

Their reasons differ, but some Rutherford County School Board members
still don't believe that the school system needs a new policy that
would require county school workers to report their arrests to
administration officials.

The discussion comes after two teachers were arrested by police
within a month of each other -- one on marijuana possession charges,
the other for allegedly shooting at an Eagleville councilman.

"They probably should notify the school," said School Board Chairman
Rick Wise. "But to have a policy that requires that, I think you
ought to be careful."

Wise said the seven-member board doesn't want to infringe on
teachers' rights.

"They have certain rights, too," he said. "Also when you make a
policy that's really firm, if somebody violates that, you have to
have some kind of punishment for it.

"It's just like zero-tolerance, and I have some reservations about
zero-tolerance, but every case is different, and what happens one
place is not exactly the same as what happens in another place, and I
think you have to be careful about that."

On March 18, police charged Stewarts Creek Middle School teacher
(redacted) with simple possession of marijuana and possession
of drug paraphernalia. He was charged after Smyrna police responded
to an unwanted-guest call on Maple Street.

The 54-year-old had been arrested before, once in July 1995 by Smyrna
police on a misdemeanor assault charge and again in October 1996 on a
DUI charge, later amended to reckless driving. For the latter, he was
required to spend three days in jail, pay a $500 fine and attend
alcohol-safety school.

(redacted) immediate boss, Stewarts Creek Middle's principal Larry
Creasy, didn't know about the arrest until some nine days later when
contacted by the media for a comment on the matter. It's unclear when
(redacted) brother, Schools Director Harry Gill Jr., found out.

(redacted) arrest came two days after schools dismissed for spring
break. He is on paid medical leave until he returns to court Monday
to answer the drug charges.

In the second teacher's arrest, news of (redacted) felony
charges spread quickly. The 49-year-old Smyrna High School science
teacher was arrested at school Wednesday.

She was charged with aggravated assault with a firearm after she
allegedly fired a gun toward Eagleville Councilman M.A. Smitty, who
lives next door, the arrest warrant states. (redacted) allegedly fired
the gun because she wanted some peace and quiet. She told police that
she fired the shot at her Eagleville neighbor to "shut them up."

After the incident, (redacted) -- a veteran school teacher -- was
suspended without pay for a second time. Gill Jr. suspended her in
person.

The first time (redacted) was suspended was for five days in February
2006 after she was charged with assaulting a former student, Joshua
B. Leverett, during class on April 6, 2005. Leverett did not
immediately press charges.

Some School Board members believe the arrests of (redacted) and (redacted)
are isolated incidents.

"Based on my five years experience on the board, I think these could
be isolated incidents because they have not occurred before, but yet
we've had two events that have occurred fairly close together," said
board member Dorris Jernigan.

"I don't think we should have a policy just yet, but if this is a
pattern or trend that is developing then certainly we'll have to act
on that because it is of concern. You can't say it's not, because it
is."

Jernigan noted that people who work in the public sector are "held to
a higher standard."

Board member Wayne Blair voiced his concern about the creation and
adoption of a policy to require teachers to report their arrests.

"How do you police a policy like that," he asked. "How do we find out
the information about these incidents and the people that are
involved? Do you make a policy that you really can't police?"

Jernigan added that if the board were to adopt such a policy, it
would still be dependent upon the offending person to blow the
whistle on themselves, or dependent upon the media alerting school
officials to the incident.

"It's like illegal immigrants coming in here. Are they going to tell
us they are here? They are going to hide as long as they can," he
said.

Board member Donald Jernigan believes it's a "personal
responsibility" for teachers to report if they are charged by police
with an offense.

"We don't have a policy or an administrative procedure for that now,
that I'm aware of, but I think it's a personal responsibility for
them to notify their principals," he said.

"Teachers are teachers 365 days a year. They have a life of their
own, of course, but they never shed the responsibility of their
position as a professional teacher and educator," he said.

"We don't need to rush into things. The superintendent by law is in
charge of personnel within the school system, and we should hold him
to a high standard and expect him to hold personnel within the system
to a high standard."