Teacher fired for drinking on FB

[Smittie61984]

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/21586641/detail.html

BARROW COUNTY, Ga. -- A former Barrow County teacher is suing the North Georgia school district, alleging she was forced to step down after photos and an expletive were shown on her Facebook profile.

Ashley Payne claimed the Barrow County school district violated state labor law because she was never told she was entitled to a hearing. Her attorney, Richard Storrs, said the 24-year-old former Apalachee High School teacher was "not made aware of her rights" and should be granted the hearing

She claimed her principal said because her profile page had of pictures of her with beer mugs and glasses of wine from when she went on vacation to Europe, she had to go.

“I visited the Guinness Brewery, I went to Italy and had wine. I went to the Temple Bar District of Dublin and drank some alcohol there like any normal adult would,” said Payne.

Payne and her friends took pictures at various places across Europe. A few pictures showed her with a glass of beer or wine.

“They’re not even of me drinking the drinks and I don’t look like I’m intoxicated in any way or doing anything provocative or inappropriate,” Payne said.

Payne, an English Teacher at Appalachee High, said she was called into the principal’s office where she was told that because of her pictures and an expletive used on one of her posts that she should immediately resign.

“The principal said that he’d talked to the superintendent so he represented that the decision had already been made and that the only way to avoid the suspension on my record would be to resign,” said Payne.

Payne’s Facebook page is private and she doesn’t allow students or strangers to become her friends on the social networking site. Several fellow teachers are included in her pictures including one who was with her on the European vacation.

But Payne is the only one out of a job.

“I did not think that any of this could jeopardize my job because I was just doing what adults do and have drinks on vacation and being responsible about it,” said Payne.

Barrow County school Superintendent Ron Saunders declined comment on the lawsuit because it is a personnel issue.

Payne resigned from her position Aug. 27. She had worked at the school for two years.

Pretty ironic because I know this town/county and it's slammed full of liquor stores and bars. Infact I believe the main city use to be called "Juggstown".

[CrazyKell]

Wow. Absolutely ridiculous.

[Curb]

Stories like this make my blood boil.

[Smittie61984]

Yeah. Welcome to the Bible belt.

Winder, GA Walmart would be banned from "Peopleofwalmart.com" for being too fucked up. Though her school is actually a very nice area.

From what I have gathered locally she was actually a good teacher who was worth a damn.

[HokieDNA01]

Same thing happened at my sisters college (she majored in Special Ed). Student was denied her degree days before graduation because there was a picture of her in a pirate outfit for halloween with a plastic cup in her hand. the caption was "drunken pirate". My sister immediately pulled her page and now has it completely private. She won't even add me.

http://www.tothecenter.com/news.php?readmore=1702

[wildchild]

won't be long and there will be little spies running around digging into every facet of your life and telling you exactly how to live just to stay in the village.

ridiculous. hell one of our local high school teachers is a bartender. guess they'd faint at the thought of that.

[Kaneman]

And everyone is worried that Obama is going to take our freedom? Give me a fucking break, its the people of America fucking this country up more than the politicians ever dreamed.

[Rider]

Social networking FTL. None of you fuckers are worth my job.

[Kaneman]

Originally Posted by Rider

Social networking FTL. None of you fuckers are worth my job.

The more people bow down the more we all lose.

[karl_1052]

It sounds to me like the administration wanted her out and were just looking for an excuse.

She will win that lawsuit easily.