North Cobb High principal demoted in harassment case

A Cobb County principal accused of sexual harassment and violating equal opportunity employment law was demoted, suspended 20 days without pay and ordered to attend a course on sexual harassment.

Superintendent Fred Sanderson told Lawrence Bynum in a Monday letter that he could return to work for the school district as a teacher after finishing sexual harassment training.

The school board in June named Bynum to lead North Cobb High before it was known that the former Floyd Middle School principal had been investigated by the district’s human resources department for complaints brought by a Floyd teacher.

Independent investigator Linda Bernknopf determined that Bynum had made an inappropriate sexual comment Aug. 6 to a school social worker at North Cobb High who was nervous about a presentation she was to make.

“Just wear a dress and stilettos,” he told her in front of other staff members, according to the report.

In another incident cited in the report, Bynum commented to a North Cobb administrative assistant about a female administrator’s large breasts.

At the time of the two incidents Bynum was under 13 directives in a “last chance” letter from the school district’s human resources department. He was not to engage in sexual harassment, avoid inappropriate comments in the workplace and refrain from talking to or about students or staff in a sexually suggestive manner.

All of those directives and others were violated, according to Sanderson’s letter. Bernknopf found Bynum guilty of insubordination, willful neglect of duties and other causes.

Bynum can appeal the superintendent’s recommendation at an employee administrative hearing set for Sept. 8 at the school district’s central office, accept the terms for future employment as a teacher or resign, said school system spokesman Jay Dillon.

Bynum was suspended Aug. 7 with pay during the investigation. Former Cobb principal Mike Johnson was named interim principal at North Cobb High.

Reached at his home number Tuesday night, Bynum hung up on a reporter and did not respond to follow-up voice messages.