Teacher Fired for Facebook Photos Showing Alcohol (Good Thing I Never Pursued a Career in Education)

SINNER!

A teacher who was allegedly forced to resign over pictures on Facebook showing her — GASP! — drinking alcohol is now suing the school board.   The 24-year-old says that the board violated state labor laws when she was never told that she entitled to a hearing.  This likely occurred because the board was full of uptight douchebags.

After her three-week trip to Europe this summer, Ashley Payne posted 700 photos to Facebook — of which ten showed her in pubs and beer gardens.  Which, in Europe, is part of the cultural experience.  In fact, I believe it’s mandatory.  Yes!  It’s true!  The European Council of Alcoholic Affairs won’t allow tourists to leave the continent until they can prove they have had at least one night where they end up having deep conversations with the flowers and bushes.  (*Ahem*, Mr. Candy.)

Payne’s Facebook page is set to a high privacy level and is accessible only to friends to whom she has granted access.   Believing that only her adult friends could see her postings, Payne also felt comfortable posting a brief comment in August announcing that she was headed out to play “Crazy Bitch Bingo,” a popular game played weekly at a Midtown Atlanta restaurant.  (Note to self:  See if same exists in Los Angeles.)

But by the next morning, someone had sent an anonymous e-mail to the superintendent. The e-mailer claimed to be a parent whose daughter had access to Payne’s Facebook page. The daughter had allegedly seen both the note about bingo and “unacceptable photos” of Payne “smiling with alcohol for all her online friends to view.”

“Her behavior is intolerable,” wrote the e-mailer.

CUT TO:  Less than two hours later.  Payne was sitting in the assistant principal’s office, where she was pressured to resign.   And now she’s fighting back with a lawsuit.  According to court documents filed by the district in response to the lawsuit, “Mr. McGee told Plaintiff that she would be suspended and her conduct (i.e., HOLDING DRINKS!) reported to the Professional Standards Committee. Plaintiff asked if she could resign.”  At that point, however, the stories diverge. McGee says that Payne volunteered to resign.  Payne says she was coerced.

Well, one thing is for sure:  That school and tattletale need to have a few drinks themselves and chill the hell out.  (Yes!  I just posted a swear word!  Thankfully, my job is safe because I can always bribe The Laughing Stork board members, Marcy and Matty, with kitty treats.)