CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga.,None — A Clayton County high school teacher is fighting to keep her job after she was recommended for firing over a heated exchange with a student.
A tribunal voted in favor of dismissing North Clayton High's Lori Ashford-Stringer at a Monday night meeting. School officials said she cursed at and threatened a student, but Ashford-Stringer said she is just one of many teachers tired of being pushed around by aggressive students.
RAW VIDEO: Teacher Responds To Firing Recommendation
"They get away with murder, and I'm sick of it. And I'm standing up for all the teachers who have to go through hell," Ashford-Stringer told Channel 2's Linda Stouffer.
Ashford-Stringer said the student involved in the incident skipped her class and then used curse words in a tense conversation that left her in tears.
The district's personnel investigator said during the tribunal hearing that Ashford- Stringer told the student, "Get the hell out of my face," and also issued a threat saying she "was from the N-O" (New Orleans) and she "knew people." The district also pointed out that Ashford-Stringer had been investigated for two previous complaints.
Ashford-Stringer said she never cursed at the student. She said her 12 years of "satisfactory" county reviews and 20 years of experience can attest to her teaching abilities.
"I go over and beyond to help these kids," she told Stouffer.
Others have also come to her defense.
"The problem in Clayton County is like so far gone. It's like students gone wild. If a teacher just tries to be a hero and stand up to these thugs, then they'll get rid of the teacher," said John Trotter, of the Metro Association of Classroom Educators.
District officials said they had nothing to say about Ashford-Stringer's comments because it is a personnel issue.
The county's school board has the final say in the teacher's fate. Ashford-Stringer's lawyer said if the board accepts the tribunal's decision to fire her, she plans to appeal.
WSBTV
