Taloga school board unanimously votes to dismiss teacher Danny Stump after due-process hearing

The Taloga Public Schools Board of Education voted unanimously on Jan. 28, 2026, to dismiss teacher Danny Stump following a special due-process hearing and an executive-session review. The board adopted amended Findings of Fact describing a pattern of inappropriate anger outbursts, alleged insubordination toward school leadership and incidents involving students.

The board’s Findings of Fact summarize several dated incidents the district said undermined its confidence in Mr. Stump as a role model. The Findings state that on Dec. 12, 2025, Mr. Stump "violently punched a locker near a student’s head" in front of several students and that on Aug. 14, 2025 he made "inappropriate, unprofessional comments" toward an umpire at a junior high baseball game. The Findings also describe episodes in which Mr. Stump raised his voice and confronted school staff during games; the report quotes an interaction in which he said, "we will be having a big talk," and another in which he told an athletic official to "get her in check." The board recorded that written and verbal admonishments had been issued previously.

Board President Jerod Acre read the hearing procedures at the start of the special meeting. Attorneys for both sides made opening and closing statements and witnesses were sworn and cross-examined before the board. Superintendent Cherice Fox and her counsel, Greg Loeffler, presented evidence; Eli Plant represented Mr. Stump and presented defense witnesses and rebuttal testimony.

The board deliberated in executive session under Oklahoma Statute tit. 25 § 307(B)(1) and (7) before returning to the open meeting. Board member Doug Kilmer moved to adopt the amended Findings of Fact; Justin Fox seconded. The motion to adopt the Findings and the subsequent motion to dismiss Mr. Stump each passed 5-0 (Yes — Acre, Birney, Kilmer, King and Fox). The board then adjourned at 8:58 P.M.

The Findings state Mr. Stump was a probationary teacher in his second year of employment for the 2025–2026 school year and held assignments as a physical education teacher and in assistant and lead coaching roles. The document cites the district’s policy DBCA and the standards of the Oklahoma State Board of Education as the basis for expected teacher conduct and concludes the administration and board had lost confidence in his ability to meet those standards.

The board’s action is effective immediately per the meeting record. The transcript and the adopted Findings do not record any appeal filed at the meeting; the district did not provide additional public detail about post-dismissal procedures during the session.