According to Leon County Schools (LCS), the First District Court of Appeal recently upheld a lower court ruling enforcing a two-week suspension for the Lawton Chiles High School principal. The two-week suspension began Monday, September 11 and will be without pay. Assistant Principal Grace Bigelow will serve as the lead administrator during the suspension.
LCS Superintendent Rocky Hanna recommended the mandatory leave after Burgess was accused of improperly paying employees for extra work and falsified payroll records. But the investigation also found insufficient evidence to decide conclusively if Burgess violated any law, and investigative documents said the district’s guidance on the issue can be unclear at times.
In response to the decision, Burgess provided TR with the response below:
“I am aware of the Court’s decision and am disappointed by the superintendent’s decision to still place me on suspension,” Burgess said. “To be clear, I paid teachers for doing extra-duty work—something that every school principal is expected to do on behalf of the students and families they serve. This decision is the height of hypocrisy, given that the superintendent, along with current and former principals, did the same for their schools.
Despite the histrionics of the current superintendent, he, along with multiple other people, reaffirmed under oath that I am an honest person and a rule-follower. I am effectively being punished for an alleged inadvertent procedural error for which the superintendent has yet to establish a policy.
Prior violations in policy committed by administrators in Leon County Schools included lying, falsifying records, creating an abusive work environment, failing to report, and failing to protect students, along with countless other violations that resulted only in coaching memos or written reprimands.
It’s a sad day for the parents and students in Leon County Schools when paying teachers for doing more work results in a two-week suspension of the principal. If that’s wrong, I don’t want to be right. I will continue to do my job as I have always done for Leon County Schools for the past 25 years.”
Chiles High School Principal to Serve Suspension added by Steve Stewart on
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Just curious, what was the “doing extra-duty work” that they were asked to perform?
The irony of politicians calling school staff corrupt
The hypocrisy and corruption runs deep with this Superintendent and school district, if people only knew how deep the rabbit hole goes. This targeted investigation coming from a man who has covered up sexual assaults at Leon High School and has been accused of rape by a current Leon County Schools employee to name a couple items of many. All of this is in writing and available for public records request if anyone doubts this, however the local media will always protect him and cover these things up. Politics is a dirty business and soon people will see what is really going on here. The corruption in this school district and our City and County officials reminds me of our current federal administration.
“If that’s wrong, I don’t want to be right”.
But you still want to collect that taxpayer funded paycheck more than you want to be “right”.