DeFUNIAK SPRINGS — A Walton County teacher accused of misconduct likely will face a three-day suspension without pay following extensive legal proceedings.
Walton Middle School teacher Harriett Hurley entered another teacher’s classroom and reprimanded a male student after her granddaughter said his lack of effort on a group project would hurt her grade, according to a ruling by an administrative law judge May 14.
She also was accused of pulling the boy out of class the next day to call his mother about an unrelated matter. Initially, it was believed she did that in relation to the first incident.
The Walton County School Board spent the better part of Wednesday afternoon in a hearing that ultimately led to a divided vote to uphold the judge’s recommendation.
Hurley’s principal and Superintendent Carlene Anderson initially requested a 10-day suspension without pay for Hurley for her actions, but the administrative law judge and the School Board felt that was too severe.
Only Sharon Roberts voted against the three-day suspension.
“The one act that actually justifies the three days is going into that classroom,” board member Mark Davis said.
Throughout Wednesday’s hearing, Hurley’s attorney, Clay Adkinson, argued that the administrative judge overlooked that Hurley’s granddaughter was in her homeroom, and students at the school are told to see their homeroom teachers as mentors. Adkinson asserted repeatedly that Hurley acted in her capacity as a homeroom teacher and not just as a grandmother.
While Davis, who is an attorney, and School Board Attorney Ben Holley maintained they could not consider information outside the judge’s order, Roberts found it impossible to overlook.
“The Walton County School District has failed our employees in this respect,” Roberts said. “We, in essence, helped bring this situation to where it is.”
Adkinson said while they weren’t pleased with the discipline recommendation, Wednesday’s hearing did shed light on the families in schools topic and remedied one of their other issues.
“She wanted the facts to come out instead of what was alleged against her,” he said.
As to next steps, Hurley could go to the 1st District Court of Appeal.
“My client is going to review all her options,” Adkinson said.
School Board members are set to approve their final order during their first meeting in July. If the issue isn’t challenged further, Hurley will face the suspension during the 2014-15 school year.
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Katie Tammen at 850-315-4440 or ktammen@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @KatieTnwfdn.