The former May River band director, Shelby Ledbetter, was recently fired from her position after a vote by the board of education. Ledbetter had decided to initiate legal proceedings against this decision but now the board has countered that she can’t appeal the firing.
The vote over whether or not to fire Ledbetter took place on November 5 last year. It came in the wake of a DUI charge against the former band director. She was charged with DUI and arrested on October 19 by Officer Odom of Bluffton who already has a reputation for reckless pursuits, window-breakage and overall unsafe conduct. Odom stopped Ledbetter for doing a 61mph in a 50mph-limit zone. Despite the lack of sufficient evidence, he concluded that Ledbetter was driving under the influence and charged her.
After the arrest, blood alcohol concentration (BAC) tests revealed that Ledbetter had a BAC of 0.04% which is nearly half the legal limit in South Carolina. She was subsequently acquitted by the Bluffton Municipal Court and no other charges were brought up against her.
Despite the fact that all charges against her were dropped, Ledbetter was placed on administrative leave within two days of her arrest. Within two weeks, the board of education had huddled and decided to take a vote on whether or not to terminate her. This was made known to Ledbetter through a letter from the board. Although the letter didn’t make any mention of the DUI charge against her that was dropped, Ledbetter suspects that the charge was used to vote her out.
After the board had voted to terminate her, Ledbetter initiated legal action to appeal against the termination. The board has now countered that Ledbetter has no legal rights to contest the decision as a teacher hired on contract.
If you or someone you know has been charged with driving under the influence, contact our DUI lawyer for help.
Source: https://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/education/article239004613.html