STARKVILLE — Starkville High School history teacher Jason Lernard Young has been suspended with pay, pending a review of the police reports from his Oct. 21 arrest, Starkville School District officials confirmed Friday.
Young, 29, was arrested by the Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Office early last Sunday and charged with multiple offenses, including his second driving under the influence charge. He was also charged with assaulting a police officer, fleeing from law enforcement, resisting arrest, malicious mischief and disorderly conduct.
Both assaulting an officer and fleeing law enforcement are felony charges. He was released on a $12,403 bond later that night.
Young has been employed five years with the district, during which time he received his first DUI.
Mississippi Code 37-9-59 states that in the event a licensed school employee is arrested, indicted or otherwise charged with a felony by a recognized law enforcement official, the employee’s continued presence on school premises will be deemed to constitute a disruption of normal school operations in its handling of the situation.
The Starkville School District learned of the incident last Thursday after the arrest report was brought to their attention, public information officer Nicole Thomas said.
“We don’t usually read the police blotter, because we don’t expect our teachers to be in it,” Superintendent Lewis Holloway said. “That is certainly not the behavior we expect from our teachers.”
Holloway said more information on the situation should be released next week. The Oktibbeha County Sherriff’s Office did not return phone calls.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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