A Starkville High School teacher has resigned his position three days after being suspended with pay following his arrest on a variety of charges, including second-offense DUI.
Jason Lernard Young, 29, was suspended by the Starkville School District on Friday, following a review of the police reports from his Oct. 21 arrest. The SDS was not aware of the incident until arrest records were brought to officials’ attention Thursday night.
“We don’t usually read the police blotter, because we don’t expect our teachers to be in it,” SDS Superintendent Lewis Holloway said. “That is certainly not the behavior we expect from our teachers.”
Young was arrested by the Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Office early on Oct. 21 and charged with not only his second DUI, but also with assaulting an officer, fleeing law enforcement, resisting arrest, malicious mischief and disorderly conduct. He was released on $12,403 bond later that night.
Assaulting an officer and fleeing law enforcement are felony charges.
In his five years with the district Young received two DUIs, his second proving more costly.
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 District investigated the charges against Mr. Young and followed the law in its handling of the charges against him,” Holloway said in a press release. “Teaching is a profession that is held to high standards, and the district expects its employees to adhere to those standards and be good role models for students.”
The SDS has a substitute teacher in place and will work quickly to fill Young’s position permanently.
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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