So goes that sitcom merry-go-round with (former?) Atkins principal Dan Piggott. Now WSFCS Superintendent Don Martin has suspended Piggott without pay and recommended to school board members that he be fired:
Michael Grace, Piggott’s main attorney, said that Piggott has to focus on the criminal charges against him. Anything that Piggott says in a school-board hearing could be subpoenaed by prosecutors, Grace said.
“I’m just trying to protect my client’s interest and give him the best shot that he can have at trial,” he said.
Drew Davis, the school system’s attorney, said that there are other steps that school employees can take to protect their rights against self-incrimination in a criminal trial, and that they are required to answer questions during a school-system investigation.
Martin said that Piggott could have avoided the recommendation for dismissal if he had attended yesterday’s meeting and answered questions.
Piggott has two weeks to appeal the recommendation.
However, Grace said that Piggott is no longer employed by the school system anyway. Piggott submitted his resignation to Martin on Monday.
Martin refused to accept it, and he said yesterday that he considers Piggott to still be an employee. Martin said that the school system does not allow employees to resign during an investigation.
“You don’t want someone to resign to avoid being dismissed,” he said. “If a person resigns, it’s not on their record. They’re not dismissed.”
