S.C. teacher who stomped on American flag gets $85,000 payment
CHAPIN, S.C. A South Carolina high school teacher removed from the classroom when he stomped on an American flag while discussing freedom is being paid $85,000 to avoid a legal challenge.
The State newspaper obtained documents under the Freedom of Information Act that show Chapin High School teacher Scott Compton is being paid the settlement by Lexington-Richland District 5, in addition to his salary through June 7.
Compton resigned as part of the settlement after criticism about his actions last December. The documents also show that the school district will pay attorney fees of nearly $32,000 for Compton.
The payments were not disclosed when Compton's resignation was announced March 27.
The $85,000 payment was described as "a compromise and resolution of disputed claims," the records say, according to the State newspaper.
A school spokesman said Compton's lawyers had indicated they would file a complaint in federal court about school officials who sought his dismissal.
After the incident in December, Superintendent Stephen Hefner talked to students in the class as well as Compton before deciding to recommend the teacher's firing.
Teachers in South Carolina do not have tenure and cannot belong to unions. The law gives superintendents the ability to recommend firing teachers who show "an evident unfitness for teaching" as long as the teacher gets a hearing before the school board.