Letter to the Editor

R-1 stands by Brown decision

Friday, March 29, 2013

To the Editor:

On March 12, 2013, the Missouri Department of Social Services held a hearing and later reported that claims against long-time Poplar Bluff R-I School District employee Mr. Jim Brown were "unsubstantiated." It is imperative to distinguish that the role of the DSS was to decide whether Brown violated Missouri statute on child abuse and neglect, while the Board of Education's responsibility was to determine whether Brown violated board policy - two separate matters completely.

Following multiple allegations made against him by students, Brown was placed on administrative leave with pay on Oct. 12, 2012, pending the outcome of a district investigation, which included various interviews with students as well as Brown. As required under the Missouri Amy Hestir Law, a hotline report was made to the DSS.

Brown was granted due process under the Missouri Teacher Tenure Act, and he requested a public hearing before the school board. The hearing lasted over 10 hours on Dec. 14, 2012, during which time 11 students--both current and former--testified against Brown, who was given ample opportunity to defend himself with his legal counsel. According to state law, the court reporter had 10 business days to transcribe the proceedings, and then the board had three days to deliberate on the 619-page report.

During a special meeting held on Jan. 2, 2013, the Board of Education voted in a majority decision to terminate Brown, after concluding that he engaged in immoral conduct/willfully and persistently violated Board Policies 4810 (sexual harassment), 2130 (harassment), 4650 (employee-student communication) and 4640 (teaching standard). Noted in the findings--a matter of public record--is that the board would have reached the same decision irrespective of the independent investigation of the DSS.

Chris Hon

Superintendent

Poplar Bluff Schools