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Board approves unpaid suspension and refers termination recommendation to administrative hearing after public comment
Summary
The board approved an unpaid suspension effective Aug. 14 and voted to refer a recommended termination to the Florida Division of Administrative Hearings after public speakers urged strict action. The employee requested a hearing; the referral vote passed 4–0 with one abstention for conflict.
The Santa Rosa County School Board on Sept. 9 approved an unpaid suspension and referred a superintendent recommendation for termination of an education‑support employee to a hearing on the merits with the Florida Division of Administrative Hearings (DOAH).
Superintendent Dr. Karen Barber introduced the agenda item (case No. 17‑722025), recommending an unpaid suspension effective Aug. 14 and proposing termination. Board counsel noted the employee timely requested a hearing within 15 calendar days, and the superintendent’s recommendation therefore included referral to a merits hearing process rather than immediate final action.
Two public speakers addressed the board during the agenda item. Jerry Cooley (Milton, FL) urged the board to take strong steps to protect students, saying adults who contact students electronically should not remain in schools. Parent and educator Amy Ziegler described a personal incident in which the employee attempted to send a friend request to her teenage daughter, said students were re‑traumatized when the employee returned to campus, and asked the board to prevent employees under investigation from coming back into school settings.
Board counsel explained options for how a hearing can be conducted under Florida law and board policy: a direct board hearing or referral to DOAH, which assigns an impartial administrative law judge to hear the matter and issue a recommended order that would later come before the school board. The board voted to approve the unpaid suspension and to refer the termination recommendation to DOAH for a hearing on the merits. The referral motion carried with four members voting in favor and one abstention recorded for conflict of interest.
Counsel and the superintendent said the DOAH process may range from several weeks to several months depending on scheduling and discovery, and when a recommended order is issued it will return to the board for final action.
