Teacher fired over relationship with student

[wordsmythe]

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The Associated Press
Published Thursday, April 19, 2007
MULVANE — Spectators burst into applause as the Mulvane School Board voted unanimously to fire a female high school teacher over an inappropriate relationship with an 18-year-old female student.

Tiffany Garrison, 25, had submitted her resignation from Mulvane High School well before Wednesday night’s special school board meeting, but it wasn’t scheduled to take effect until the end of the school year.

Garrison was suspended with pay April 9 when the district started investigating the relationship. Officials in the south-central Kansas district officials have said the relationship didn’t involve any illegal activity such as alcohol use or anything of a sexual nature.

About 60 people attended the special board meeting, which ended with the vote to fire Garrison for reasons that included insubordination and maintaining a relationship with a student. Garrison, who didn’t attend the meeting, has 15 days to appeal the dismissal and request a hearing.

The girl’s parents attended the meeting and said they were “elated and relieved” by the board’s decision.

As the board was in executive session discussing the matter, the girl’s mother read the crowd a letter she had sent to board members demanding Garrison’s dismissal.

The letter said e-mails between Garrison and the girl suggested their relationship involved more than “pure friendship” and that it involved some physical contact.

“Ms. Garrison should have never allowed the relationship to escalate past the point of teacher and student,” the letter said.

“At the present time, we feel the only appropriate and acceptable action by the Mulvane school board is to fire Ms. Garrison.”

The parents said Garrison moved out of the area after the relationship was exposed.

[TexKan]

Well she shoulda waited till her pardner wasn't a student. Other than that - what's the story? I think her choice of a student deserves the firing she got.

[TigerEyes]

Yeah, but the newsblurb says the relationship didn't involve anything illegal and was not of a sexual nature.

[TexKan]

It's against most USD's policies to have a relationship with any student other than teacher / student.



The letter said e-mails between Garrison and the girl suggested their relationship involved more than “pure friendship” and that it involved some physical contact.

“Ms. Garrison should have never allowed the relationship to escalate past the point of teacher and student,” the letter said.

I was just goin by the post.................. bein 18 don't make it right - sex or no sex........... perhaps the teacher was tryin to give motherly advice where she shouldn't have. There is a fine line between teaching a course and trying to mold a life that you really don't have the right to mold.