LEON COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) - The newly elected Superintendent of Schools, Rocky Hanna, has decided not to keep Jackie Pons on as a employee of Leon County Schools (LCS).
Hanna sent the letter informing Pons of the decision on Monday and sent a message to the school board members explaining why he made the decision to let Pons go.
Before making the decision, Hanna was sent a letter from Pons' attorney on Nov. 23, letting him know that Pons was "ready and able to assume the duties of Principal, the last position which he help prior to his election as Superintendent."
The letter also mentioned that according to a board policy, Pons was entitled to return to being principal or a position like it, provided he met certification requirements.
On Monday, Hanna met with school board attorneys and district staff, eventually coming to the conclusion that Pons would no longer be associated with LCS.
In the letter Hanna wrote the Pons, he said that the provision allowing elected officials to return to their previous positions, was "not intended to apply and does not apply to [Jackie Pons]".
LCS sent out this statement regarding the decision:
Superintendent Hanna has informed Mr. Jackie Pons, via letter, that he is no longer an employee of Leon County Schools. Mr. Pons was elected to superintendent in 2006. Policy 1430 was adopted in September of 2012, while Mr. Pons was serving as superintendent. The policy is not retroactive and therefore the “return from unpaid leave provision” does not apply to Mr. Pons.
Chris Petley, a spokesperson for LCS, said that because of the decision, the school board attorney will change the scope of the investigation into Pons for an anonymous package of materials alluding to alleged misconduct.
The District will not comment further on the investigation until it is complete.
