Officials: Middle school kids paid $1 a day to skip gym class
By MELISSA NELSON
The Associated Press
PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) — An Escambia County middle school gym teacher let children sit out his class if they paid a $1 bribe daily, netting the Alabama man perhaps thousands of dollars, officials said Thursday.
Authorities said students paid Terence Braxton, 28, of Atmore, Ala., between September and December. He has apparently left the area and is being sought by detectives, who plan to arrest him on bribery charges.
"It's not bad if you can make an extra $100 a day tax free," said Ronnie Arnold, spokesman for the Escambia County School District. [...]
The official charges accuse Ward [sic. That should read "Braxton." Ward refers to Mike Ward, spokesman for the Escambia County Sheriff's Office. Ed.] of taking about $230 from the six students, but Ward said Braxton's actual take from the 250 sixth-to-eighth-grade boys and girls was girls was likely much greater. [...]
Why would he run off? If he's in the teachers' union, there would have been no way they could fire him.
Posted by: Chris at February 16, 2006 03:50 PM::chuckle:: Well, I think he's probably less worried about getting fired than having his butt whupped by a bunch of angry parents. Even the union would be hard-pressed to protect him from that!
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at February 16, 2006 04:07 PM