Clayton teacher fired for ‘guilty' plea will appeal
A Clayton County teacher accused of touching the buttocks of a student wasn't fired when he was arrested last year.
When a tribunal panel suggested the Clayton school board fire Antonio Mahone, the teacher wasn't fired.
But at Tuesday night's meeting, the board voted 8-0 to fire Mahone. The school system says it didn't know Mahone pleaded guilty to three misdemeanors in September.
"If you are convicted, you have a duty to notify the school system," attorney Winston Denmark, who represents the school system, told the AJC.
Teachers' contracts require the notification, Denmark said. The Georgia Professional Standards Commission notified the district about Mahone's plea, he said.
Mahone plans to appeal the ruling, his attorney, Borquaye Thomas, said Wednesday. Thomas said he and his client believed the school system was aware of the plea.
A school system representative was present at two of Mahone's court hearings, Thomas said.
"It will definitely be appealed because there is no information whatsoever to justify a termination," Thomas said.
Mahone, 48, was arrested last February following a 14-year-old girl's claim that the teacher had inappropriately touched her while hugging her, according to the arrest warrant. At the time, Mahone worked at Kendrick Middle School, where he was a basketball coach. He was transferred to a job as an in-school suspension teacher at the district's alternative school.
Mahone was sentenced to 12 months of probation, according to the Clayton County Superior Court Web site.
In addition to not reporting his plea, the school district also claims that Mahone used a sick day to attend court, rather than asking for unpaid time, Denmark said.
Even that, Thomas contends, does not justify the firing. “If he wasn’t terminated last year based on allegations of misconduct, why now?" he said.
