Statement Feb.

21 by Compton attorney Darryl Smalls

In regards to Mr. Comptons amended Notice of Termination letter, of which to date he has not officially received from the school district, I offer the following: The amended termination letter is nothing more that an attempt to justify Mr. Compton's termination and signifies the weakness in the original letter of termination. The letter describes the flag incident as the latest in a series that superintendent Stephen Hefner said demonstrates "a pattern of poor judgment." This is simply a ploy to pull at any straw the district can find to discredit and terminate Mr. Compton. The fact of the matter is that in 7 years at Chapin, the only time he was ever called in for reprimand was December 13, 2012. Even at this time, his principal, Mr. Akil Ross stated that Mr. Compton was one of his best teachers. The added offense concerns the Chapin newspaper of which he was the sponsor. The essence of the added offense refers to an information filer that came from The McClatchy-Tribune, which is used by hundreds of high school newspapers nationwide and is paid for by the school district. My client does not endorse the consumption of alcohol and in fact does not drink alcohol himself. The main factor here is that the Chapin principal has prior review. This means that all final newspapers were sent to him for approval prior to printing. After this incident, we have e-mails from Principal Ross stating this was not Mr. Comptons fault as he took full responsibility. In an e-mail to the Chapin High School staff on February 29, 2012 Ross stated the following: "During the editing process of the school newspaper, I failed to focus on the purchased advertisements/inserts. I only reviewed student work. As a result, inappropriate material has been printed in our newspaper.". In an email to Mr. Compton dated also on February, 29, 2012 regarding the matter, Mr. Ross stated, You are one of the best teachers I have ever worked with and I truly respect you. Your leadership on The Claw has brought so much to this school and the students you serve. I do not want you to apologize. I want you to keep the fight for literature and self expression. Our kids need you. In addition Mr. Ross stated that Mr. Compton was one of his best teachers. During his time with The Chapin Claw, the newspaper has won close to twenty awards from the SC Scholastic Press Association, including four as recently as fall 2012. After this event, Mr. Ross also selected him to pilot a new mass communication program for Chapin High School. In regards to the support staff issue, Mr. Compton contacted the administration in regards to a teacher who was being let go due to budget cuts. The incident was handled privately with a phone call during the summer of 2009. In fact, Mr. Compton has the support of the majority of the faculty and has been nominated for teacher of the year several years while teaching at Chapin High School. He has served on the faculty board as well as serving as faculty president. In addition, he was asked to head not only the newspaper, but also the Literary Magazine, and other various clubs and committees.