MANSFIELD — An administrator and a teacher were terminated, while two other administrators and another teacher resigned with various effective dates at Tuesday night’s Mansfield City Schools board of education meeting.
High school assistant principal Fuzzie Davis and teacher Teresa Kerr were terminated, while high school principal Jose Hernandez, Sherman Elementary assistant principal Monica Hubbard and construction technology teacher Thomas Gompf all resigned.
The board’s decision on each of these personnel decisions was unanimous after an hour of deliberation in executive session. No comments or questions were made by the board in public.
”Mansfield City Schools leadership began an immediate investigation after being informed that a Mansfield Senior High School staff member allegedly made inappropriate comments to some students and these comments had allegedly not been reported pursuant to law or board policy by three other staff members,” the district stated in a press release regarding Davis’ termination.
The incident was made public, Jan. 29.
“The district takes any allegation of this nature seriously, and we took swift action to remove the individuals in question from the school,” superintendent Brian Garverick said. “The safety of students is our top priority.”
Davis, a longtime educator in the district, was placed on paid administrative leave on Jan. 25. Hernadez, who has nearly 30 years experience as a teacher, coach and administrator in his career spanning numerous school districts, was also placed on paid administrative leave on Jan. 25.
”Of the four individuals against who disciplinary allegations were made, three have submitted resignations, and those resignation have been accepted by the board,” the statement noted. “The board has taken action to proceed with termination of the fourth.”
According to the district, the resignations of Gompf and Hernandez will be effective July 31. Hubbard’s resignation will be effective Aug. 1.
According to the district, Kerr was terminated after an alcohol-related incident at school on Dec. 20, 2017. Kerr was away from her job without leave for more than 27 days, according to the meeting’s agenda.
Hubbard, a former board member, joined the school district on July 18 as an administrator and was placed on paid leave in February following charges of illegal voting. The fourth-degree felony can be erased from her record if she is accepted into a diversion program, according to Richland County Prosecutor Gary Bishop.
