Principal, teacher suspended for letting sex offender into school...

[hntngirl]

http://www.accessnorthga.com/news/ap...y.asp?ID=36041

Principal, teacher suspended for letting sex offender into school

The Associated Press - AUGUSTA, Ga.

A Burke County Middle School principal and teacher have been suspended after a convicted sex offender was allowed to take part in a school function.

At a special meeting Monday, Burke County Board of Education members decided to suspend principal Linda Murray and Pat Hozey, a curriculum instructor at the school, board member Clay Walden said.

Murray was suspended 10 days with pay and Hozey was suspended five days with pay, Walden said. They were originally suspended without pay at an April 5 meeting. But the board's counsel advised paying them, pending an April 23 hearing.

The suspensions came after an April 1 function at the middle school. Hozey's husband, Ira D. Hozey, participated in folk dance activities, Walden said. Ira D. Hozey was convicted of child molestation in 1995 and is a registered sex offender.

"As a board, we felt this was something we had to do until everything is settled," Walden said. "Even if no one else in the county knew it, Mrs. Hozey knew it and used poor judgment bringing him to the school."

Walden said he and other board members received many phone calls from outraged parents after they learned Ira Hozey reportedly danced with the daughter of a Burke County police official.

"Mr. Hozey shouldn't even want to be around children," Walden said.

[hntngirl]

Suspended with pay? It may not be clear what knowledge the principal had, but the wife of this guy should be canned immediately, as well as have some kind of punishment legally.[:@][:@][:@]

[Charlie P]

Some one should check and see what this guy's restrictions are. Miught be abvle to put his butt back in jail.

Why would you marry a guy that was convicted of child molestation?

[Bldhound]

I'm gonna raise a little cain here. Why in the heck do they suspend with pay? Yeah that'll teach 'em a lesson. Hell I wish I could get sent home from work with pay without using my vacation or sick leave. PUNSIH ME, send me home with pay........BUT starting on the 15th on opening day of turkey season................NOW that's a PUNISHMENT!!!!!! I promise since I was bad no to go to the turkey woods, yeah right. I'll write on the chalkboard when I get back from my severe punishment.
Whooooaaa have to stop that rant before I really get going!

[CODave]

Its like putting an alcoholic belly up to a bar.

[badshotbob]

ORIGINAL: hntngirl

... Ira Hozey reportedly danced with the daughter of a Burke County police official.

Whoa.

Why would you marry a guy that was convicted of child molestation?

No doubt - what the H is wrong with people? This woman sounds too trusting and rather brain-dead to pull a stunt like this, let alone to marry a guy with that history.

[burniegoeasily]

Some one should check and see what this guy's restrictions are. Miught be abvle to put his butt back in jail.

thats right. As a sex offender, he is not suppose to have contact with any minor.

As for the principal, how was he/she to know Hozey was a sex offender. I know a sex offender is suppose to "self police", by not getting in situations that could lead to him going back to jail. Do we even know who the sex offenders are in our neighbor hood. I, as a teacher, get a letter any time a sex offender moves to our community. After that, the sex offender is left alone. I have moved to a new school district 3 years ago. How am I to know who the sex offenders are who registered before I began working at this school? Could this be the situation? If not, the principal get what is coming to them. As for the wife, I wont cry a single tear.[:@]

[driftrider]

OOOH! Suspended with pay! I'll bet forcing them to sit at home and watch soaps and go shoppong at will is really going to teach them a hard lesson!

Everybody I know calls a suspension with pay a "mandatory vacation."

I think that bringing a child molester into a school is a really bad idea, myself.

But I do have some mixed feelings about the issue of sex offender registration in general. On the one hand I know that sex offenders in general have a very high rate of recidivism, and because of that prudence dictates that they should be scrutinized more closely and that people deserve to know when a person with a perpensity to commit sexual offenses is in their area. On the other hand, the part of me that cherishes personal liberty can't help but think that such "branding" is akin to a mandatory life sentence even after they've served their time and in some cases actually been rehabilitated (it does happen from time to time).

I guess my real problem can be summed up as such...if they are safe enough to be returned to society, then why do they need to be "branded" and alienated permanently from society despite their efforts to obey the law and become respectable and productive members of society? At the same time, if they continue to be dangerous enough to warrant registration and notification of others in the community of their presence, why the heck are they out of jail in the first place?

Mike

[burniegoeasily]

I'm gonna raise a little cain here. Why in the heck do they suspend with pay?

That is pending a trial. If they are proven innocent, they would have legal grounds for a cival suit agianst the school. Mearly a butt cover on the schools behalf. Better to pay a pay check once or twice, than to lose millions on a deprivation of character suit.

[driftrider]

deprivation of character

Do you mean to say "defamation of character?" One cannot deprive another of their character because it is an intangible personal attribute. No offense intended of course.

Mike