A veteran Clayton County middle school teacher is fighting to keep his job after being accused of abusive treatment and inappropriate behavior involving special needs students.
Adamson Middle School teacher David Vollmer appeared before an employment hearing panel Monday as five witnesses -- including the school's principal, a personnel review officer and a paraprofessional who lodged allegations against Vollmer -- recounted incidents of Vollmer allegedly groping and tickling a male student's stomach, thighs and groin; destroying one student's artwork; bending another student's fingers; and following a female student into the bathroom.
The allegations against Vollmer -- who is specifically trained to work with severely disabled children, some of whom can't speak -- were reported to school officials by a paraprofessional who worked in the classroom with Vollmer and another paraprofessional who has since been dismissed.
Vollmer's attorney said the allegations aren't true and that Vollmer, who served 20 years in the Air Force before becoming a teacher, has a spotless teaching record.
"We think it's [a case of] another male teacher being falsely accused," Atlanta attorney Warren Fortson said. Vollmer, who has been at Adamson for 12 years, has not worked at the school since November, after the allegations fully came to light, Fortson said.
Any final decision on Vollmer's termination would be made by the county school board.
Allegations first surfaced in September when a new paraprofessional in his class, Monique Hall, complained to school officials about what she considered to be Vollmer's rough treatment of and inappropriate behavior toward students. In one instance, Vollmer ripped up a student's artwork, sending the child running from the classroom. Vollmer admitted tearing up the artwork, saying he was trying to get the student, who was supposed to be doing math, "back on task."
A month later, Vollmer went into the women's restroom shortly after the other paraprofessional took a female student into the restroom, said Teresa Reese, a personnel review officer for the school district who investigated the allegations. Reese said she asked Vollmer about the incident. He said he went in because he thought the paraprofessional had called him because there was an "emergency."
That same month, more allegations surfaced. Vollmer allegedly touched a student's private area while tucking in the child's shirt. In another incident, a child was taken to the nurse's office with an injured leg, but the nurse wasn't there. When the child returned to the classroom, Vollmer said he would look at the injury and took the child to the restroom. A few minutes later Vollmer was observed "on his knees in front of the male student with [the student's] pants down." Vollmer jumped up quickly when he realized he was being watched, Reese said she was told during her investigation.
Reese recommended terminating Vollmer after speaking with witnesses and examining documents "that supported such allegations."
"No one could tell me [the incidents] had not occurred," Reese said. "There was always some rationale regarding the allegations."
Vollmer will tell his side of the story when the hearing continues Tuesday. Channel 2 Action News reported Monday that the Clayton County Sheriff's Office investigated the case and has turned it over to the District Attorney's Office.
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