AUGUSTA, GA (WFXG) -
"I
retired this morning. I am not an employee, but I am still on administrative
leave until the end of the month. Come December I will be officially retired."
This was the
shocking announcement to Terrace Manor Elementary employees; Principal Hartley
Gibbons said he's retiring.
"There
is a new system in place in Georgia for retirement," Gibbons said. "If I did not retire this
month here, I would lose money. And it's not about the money, but it's still
about making sure I provide for my family, and my health."
Earlier this week,
Gibbons was kicked out of a school board meeting; his outburst criticized the
Richmond County Board of Education for ignoring unsafe environmental issues in
his school building. The next day he was put on administrative leave and
escorted off the school's premises. Minutes later two teachers were rolled out
on medical stretchers. They say black mold throughout some classrooms made it
hard for them to breathe.
Superintendent
Frank Roberson says the school board just received the preliminary results of
an assessment of the more than 30-year-old building.
"There
are no threats to the environment," Dr. Roberson said. "Nothing in the environment that should
create any health concerns for students or staff."
Interim
principal Hal Thomason will now lead the school.
"I'm
going to make an informed decision about what I feel about the building," Thomason said. "I'm in
here myself, so my health too could also be a concern, and I feel perfectly at
ease here."
Thomason
says he welcomes all parents to share their concerns, much like they did with
Gibbons, who says he will remain an active member in the community.
"I
will continue to follow Terrace Manor," Gibbons said. "I will continue to support the
parents of these kids, because they're our legacy and they're our future, but
it's time for me to leave."
Source: Rachel Moore/WFXG
