***UPDATED ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23 AT 6:16 P.M.***
Augusta, GA – A Richmond County principal took a Leave of Absence to serve time for an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate employee in another county.
This all happened back in 2013 when Jonathan Woods, who currently serves as Laney High School Principal, was an Assistant Principal at a Rockdale County middle school. After digging through a state ethics board investigation, News Channel 6 now knows more about why he’s sitting at home.
School was in session as normal for staff and students at Laney, without the man at the helm.
Richmond County Superintendent Angela Pringle spoke on the issue. She said, “The matter is involving another district. It doesn’t involve anything with our work in Richmond County.
We obtained investigation documents from the Georgia Professional Standards Commission. It dates back to late March of 2013 when Woods became the source of a rumor that he made sexual contact with another educator. The investigation states Woods and the other educator were caught on security camera going behind closed doors into his office for 10 to 11 minutes.
The commission’s investigation also stated investigators obtained copies of text messages where the woman involved admits to two other teachers that she had sex with Woods more than once and in his office. The report states that she said it [sex] was “pretty steamy” and that Woods gave her his phone number “on a one hundred dollar bill.” Woods and the subordinate employee denied the incident happened at first, but the employee admitted guilt when investigators showed her the video.
Woods subsequently filed a complaint with HR a few weeks later alleging sexual harassment by the Principal. He claimed on several different occasions that the principal, after asking if he was having an inappropriate relationship with a female staff member, made “several sexual remarks, sexual comments and sexual advances.” Woods told investigators the principal said he could “make this go away if I would take him up on his previous offers of oral sex and other sexual advances.” He also asked him to contact him over spring break [2013] for “Man fun.”
The principal submitted a statement denying making any “…sexual remarks, comments, innuendos or sexual advances…” towards Woods.
The commission states that Woods violated two rules. He failed to exemplify honesty and integrity after it said he made false allegations of sexual harassment against the school principal. He also failed to demonstrate conduct that follows professional standards.
Superintendent Pringle said education will not be interrupted while Woods serves the rest of his suspension time. She said a former Laney principal is now interim principal.
“Academics continue to be a priority there at Laney so we felt like Dr. Welcher would do a great job as we work through this matter.”
Most of the 100 day suspension was already served between February and May of last year according to the Director of the Professional Standards Commission. He said Woods has 36 days left.
Pringle told us Woods will return to work in April.
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Augusta, GA (WJBF) – A Richmond County School principal sits at home after being suspended.
The director of the Georgia Professional Standards Commission told WJBF News Channel 6’s Renetta DuBose that Jonathan Woods, who is the current principal at Lucy C. Laney Comprehensive High School, had an inappropriate relationship with another employee while working as assistant principal in Rockdale County, in Georgia.
The investigation states that Woods had sexual contact on school grounds with that employee, and it was confirmed by video from inside the school.
The suspension is for 100 days and is being served for time that Woods was not in the classroom between February and May of last year.
Richmond County School Superintendent Angela Pringle says education at Laney is ongoing. She says Woods will return to work in April.
