Family
and friends support Allnutts
By
LAURA HAGAN
lhagan@owentonnewsherald.com
When
contracts for two Owen County teachers were not renewed recently
for the next school year, it caused a stir among some students
at Owen County High School and other members of the community.
Don and Sara Allnutt received pink slips a few weeks ago. That
day, a group of students walked out of OCHS to show their support
and anger about the issue.
While the reason they were let go cannot be discussed –
by law, personnel matters cannot be released to the public –
a group of the Allnutts’ family and friends came to Monday
night’s school board meeting to voice their concerns.
Dana Colligan is Don’s cousin. She attended the board meeting.
“We want to do whatever we could,” she said. “We
don’t feel it’s right to get rid of good teachers
for no reason.”
Colligan said Don’s college dream was to come back into
Owen County and teach. This was his fourth year at OCHS. She said
the family is upset and would llike to have answers.
“These kids were his life,” she said. “And I
think pretty much all of the kids at the school have wondered
(what happened).”
Vicky
Goodrich’s sons were two of the students that liked having
Don Allnutt as their teacher. One of her sons played football
for him, and she said her son loved and admired him.
“The kids really respected him,” she said.
Before the meeting, a petition was passed around, reading “We
support the Allnutts” at the top. There were 197 names on
it.
Allnutt’s father, Don Allnutt Sr., said things have not
been good for his family since Don and Sara recieved their pink
slips.
“(They are) two good teachers that all the kids like, and
they let them go,” he said.
Neither Don nor Sara attended the meeting. Don Sr. said his son
didn’t come because he thought it was best, since he might
say something that would affect him later.
He said Don hopes to try and get his job back in a few years.
Four people got up to speak on behalf of the Allnutts, addressing
the board, and asking why this happened.
Board member Terry Patterson told the group that the board was
not allowed to get involved with personnel issues by law. Superintendent
Mark Cleveland discussed the evaluation process that is done on
every teacher to help determine whether or not they are renewed
for the next year. Cleveland said the Allnutts were aware their
pink slips where coming, while Don Sr. said they were not.
The decision to let a teacher go is made by the principal. The
superintendent can then choose to support the principal’s
decision or not.
“The evaluation is the job of the immediate supervisor,”
Cleveland said.
Dr. Joy Arnold stood before the board and read a letter from Glenda
Allnutt. In the letter, Glenda calls the issue a “travesty”
and says that “a big wrong has been done for OCHS.”
A friend of the Allnutts who spoke on their behalf said that he
“hasn’t met a student that’s had anything bad
to say about either one.”
The biggest question the group had was “why?” and
they also wondered what, if anything, they could do to help the
teachers get their jobs back.
“The easiest thing for me to do is stand up and tell you,”
Cleveland said. “But I can’t, by law.”
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