JACKSON, Miss. — The Commission on Teacher and Administrator Education Certification ratified an agreed order Sept. 5 placing educator Freddie Moncrief’s license on probation for two calendar years and requiring completion of ethics coursework after the Office of Educator Misconduct presented the case.

Mr. Scott DeYoung of the Office of Educator Misconduct told the commission that the office received an Appendix C from Jackson Public School District alleging a violation of Standard 4 on or about Dec. 11, 2014; the respondent consented to an agreed order and waived a disciplinary hearing. “Respondent has consented to enter into an agreed order, placing his license on probation without the necessity of a disciplinary hearing before the commission,” DeYoung said.

Under the ratified order, license number 19198725 will be placed on probation for two calendar years from the date of ratification. The respondent must, at his own expense, complete a seminar or coursework related to ethics in the classroom from a reputable source satisfactory to the commission and submit proof of completion to the Office of Educator Misconduct before the probationary period ends. The order states that any further allegations or violations of state or federal law, the Mississippi educator code of ethics, or failure to complete probation requirements “shall automatically result in the immediate suspension of his license for a period of one year.”

The commission discussed the underlying date of the allegation. DeYoung explained the matter dated to 2014, that an investigation began then, the educator did not go to hearing and had been working outside the classroom until recently when he sought to return to teaching; length of time under investigation was a factor considered in offering probation rather than a harsher sanction. The commission then voted to ratify the agreed order by voice vote.

What’s next: If Moncrief’s license is suspended for failure to comply, he may petition for reinstatement after the suspension period and must show evidence of rehabilitation; reinstatement would require a majority vote of commission members present.