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Schools

Teacher's fate remains undecided

The School Board met Tuesday night in the case of a teacher who attempted suicide at school.

By MARY SPICUZZA
Published October 18, 2006

LAND O'LAKES - Patti Withers sat with her head hanging down, listening as School Board attorney Edmund McKenna described the day Withers "brought a weapon to school and tried to kill a teacher."

It didn't matter that the weapon was pills, he said, or that the intended victim was Withers herself.

During a quasijudicial hearing Tuesday, McKenna told the School Board it's a question of "whether that kind of violence is acceptable." And he urged them to fire Withers, the Pasco High School language teacher who tried to kill herself on campus May 22 by swallowing some pills after school.

Superintendent Heather Fiorentino has recommended Withers be fired, citing Florida State Board of Education administrative rules governing suspension and dismissal, which address "immorality" and "conduct that is sufficiently notorious to bring the individual concerned or the education profession into public disgrace."

As of 8 p.m. Tuesday, however, the Pasco County School Board was still discussing the issue.

The board heard several hours of testimony from Withers' colleagues, Fiorentino, and psychiatrist Dr. Pius Jacob.

Jacob, the doctor treating Withers, urged the board not to fire his patient.

"I'm concerned if she does not have a job, she will commit suicide," Jacob said.

He called Withers "a very nice lady, but a desperate lady," and said she was terrified of being without a job, without an income, and without health benefits.

"With job security, with good followup," Jacob said, "I think she will do okay."

Withers' attorney Melissa Mihok argued that this was an issue of her client's mental health, not her morality. And she repeatedly asked how many students had actually witnessed Withers swallowing the pills.

Fiorentino and school staff members could not say exactly how many students, or provide any names of the teens who had clearly witnessed the attempt.

Much of Fiorentino's argument has been that young people who witness a suicide are more likely to attempt it themselves.

The School Board has struggled with the case for months.

On July 25, the board suspended Withers without pay based on Fiorentino's recommendation that she not be allowed to return to the classroom. Withers suffered a relapse into depression when she heard about her suspension, members of the United School Employees of Pasco told the board.

The board voted Aug. 1 to instead suspend her with pay.

On Aug. 15, board members placed her on a leave of absence.

The board was originally scheduled to hold this hearing Oct. 3, but it was postponed.

Mary Spicuzza covers education in Pasco County. She can be reached at 813 909-4614 or toll free at 1 (800) 333-7505, ext. 4614. Her e-mail address is mspicuzza@sptimes.com.

[Last modified October 18, 2006, 07:48:37]