The Smackover-Norphlet School Board met Monday night for a special-called meeting to decide whether to terminate SHS engineering and science teacher Tami Philyaw.
Philyaw was reprimanded by the district in early March following reports and an investigation of an alleged unethical relationship with a student. The written reprimand directed her to not be alone with students after school hours.
Students and parents held a protest on March 11 outside the Smackover-Norphlet administration office in Smackover to express their opposition to Philyaw's suspension following the written reprimand and during the investigation, which first brought the issue to general public awareness.
The administration argued that Philyaw broke the terms of the reprimand weeks after it was issued and should have her contract terminated based on a recommendation from Superintendent Jason Black.
The school board was tasked at the conclusion of the meeting with voting on Black's recommendation to terminate Philyaw's contract. They deliberated in a closed session that Black and other members of district administration were not present in.
The board voted unanimously to terminate Philyaw's contract.
Unusual proceedings
School board meetings are generally run by the board president; this hearing, however, was presided over by Whitney Moore, a third-party who acted as a mediator and directed the proceedings.
The nearly six-hour hearing – which Philyaw requested be public-- proceeded like a court hearing, though it wasn't bound by typical courtroom standards.
Lawyers representing the school district administration and Philyaw argued their respective cases. The school district administration was represented by its attorney, Christina Carr, and Philyaw was represented by Greg Alagood.
"Reports came into the school in February and early March regarding a relationship between Ms. Philyaw and one of her students. The administration referred that for an investigation," Carr said.
Jacqueline Harrison, a Little Rock-based attorney, conducted an investigation into Philyaw's relationship with the student -- Olivia Bullard, a 2022 graduate who also testified during the public meeting – after the district received report of concerns from Smackover High School Counselor Stacy Jerry and SNSD Mental Health Coordinator Becky Dickson.
Dickson, Harrison said, identified herself as a friend of Philyaw; she said she was concerned by "daily communications" between Philyaw and Bullard outside school hours; seeing Bullard's car parked at Philyaw's home; and an off-campus college visit Bullard took with Philyaw.
Dickson told Harrison she felt "ethical and professional boundaries were being crossed," Harrison said.
Jerry told Harrison that she also felt boundaries were crossed based on several observations; she also had "community members" express concerns about the close relationship between Bullard and Philyaw, Harrison said Jerry told her.
"Ms. Philyaw told me she considered herself to have a mentor/motherly role with this student, as this student did not have a mother figure in her life. She agreed she was closer to this student than she had been to any other students during her career and told me she had numerous off-campus interactions with this student in her home, alone, with no other adult or student for non-school purposes such as hanging out, cleaning dishes and sometimes working on engineering projects," Harrison said.
Philyaw allegedly told Harrison she took Bullard for a college visit to Arkansas Tech University, in Russellville, as well as to see Christmas lights and to purchase a blouse. The teacher also attended an out-of-town performance Bullard was in and said they texted and talked on the phone daily, Harrison said.
Philyaw said she "wasn't aware" she needed to tell administrators about the visit due to having Bullard's father's permission, Harrison said, noting she confirmed with Bullard's father that he had given permission for his daughter to attend off-campus activities with Philyaw.
"One thing I felt of note was that the student indicated she was upset and distressed about not being able to speak with the teacher while she was on administrative leave so I could conduct my investigation. I think it's relevant because it shows the emotional dependence this student has on this teacher that she was distressed over not being able to have her daily text messages and phone calls with this teacher," Harrison said.
"Although there was no finding of physical or sexual relationship... It was found that there were numerous occasions that violated ethical and professional standards that are clearly outlined by this district in their policies," she continued.
A written reprimand was issued to Philyaw in a meeting with her and SNSD administrators on March 11, said Holly Strickland, SNSD executive director of academics and school improvement.
"We advised very strongly that she needed to restrain from seeing or being around any student or students after school hours unless approved by the administration -- the principal or the superintendent. At that time, we strongly encouraged her to not be alone [with students] after school hours or it could lead to termination," Strickland said.
Another report
Two weeks after receiving the reprimand, Philyaw was seen at a restaurant and brewery in Camden with Bullard and a second student. The incident was reported to district administration by a former employee, Jennifer Ramsey, and Philyaw was presented with a letter of termination.
"The administration [contends] that those actions on March 25 were not only in direct violation of the March 11 reprimand but also clearly violated the spirit and intentions of that reprimand. Termination was the stated recourse for a violation of that reprimand and Ms. Philyaw knew that when she signed that reprimand," Carr said.
Philyaw's lawyer, Alagood, argued that Philyaw was not "alone" with Bullard.
A termination letter was presented to Philyaw in a meeting following the district's receipt of information about the restaurant meeting due to "insubordination" to the verbal and written reprimand, leading to Monday night's hearing.
Student and teacher testify
Bullard said Philyaw taught several classes she took at Smackover High School, and was the leader of the Rocket Team, an extra-curricular activity she was a part of. She said her father works long hours and was often unable to take her on trips, like the college visit to Arkansas Tech.
"That's why Ms. Philyaw took me, and there was permission. She talked to my dad and got permission for that," Bullard said.
She said she'd previously met with Dickson, the mental health coordinator, at Philyaw's urging, and at the time, Dickson also encouraged her teacher-student relationship with Philyaw.
Philyaw also testified, detailing her career in education, her views of the necessity of forming close bonds with students and her reasons for developing a close relationship with Bullard. She said she also had close relationships with other students.
"To say she's hard-headed is putting it mildly... but to see a kid who is hard-headed, I can turn that into persistence. I can turn that kid into a kid who perseveres. Up until the time I met her, (Bullard) was not as confident as she has every reason to be. So, I saw that, recognized that, and knew I had the skill to fix that. So, we did," Philyaw said.
Philyaw said her relationship with Bullard grew as the student continued to take more of her classes and joined the Rocket Team and the two spent a growing number of school hours together.
"Now it's multiple hours per day, multiple problems to be solved each day. What do you expect to happen to the relationship between those two people?" Philyaw said.
Philyaw also said during Alagood's questioning that no concerns had been brought forward concerning any inappropriate contact between her and a student before this.
Philyaw also responded to questions about the off-campus encounters between the two, such as paying Bullard to wash dishes at her home.
"I hate washing dishes emphatically and considered it a win-win. I'll give her 20 bucks to wash my sink full of dishes and I don't have to wash dishes," Philyaw said.
Alagood also asked Philyaw whether she believed she'd violated the March 11 reprimand when she went out to eat with Bullard and the other student.
"It's true that you received a written reprimand... but it goes on to say that the reprimand instructed you to have no contact with students off campus. That's simply not true, is it?" Alagood asked.
"No sir, it isn't. That's not the language in the reprimand," Philyaw said.
Standard 1 of the Ethical Standard for Arkansas Educators instructs that "an educator maintains a professional relationship with each student, both in and outside the classroom" and Standard 2 directs that "an educator maintains competence regarding his or her professional practice, inclusive of professional and ethical behavior, skills, knowledge, dispositions, and responsibilities relating to his or her organizational position."
Carr pushed back on the intention of the reprimand in her questioning of Philyaw and asked if she would have waited until Bullard graduated to have contact with her, in hindsight.
"I obeyed the language of the reprimand as given so ,no, I don't think I did anything wrong," Philyaw said.
Following the testimony and closing statements, the Smackover-Norphlet School Board deliberated and found unanimously the reason for Philyaw's termination – violation of the written reprimand - to be true and voted, also unanimously, to terminate Philyaw's contract.