Arrest of teacher done so without advance notice to school officials

Published 8:38 pm Saturday, April 20, 2013

Selma Chief of Police William T. Riley was one of the law enforcement officials on hand Friday to take Selma High School teacher LaTangela Williams into custody.  She is charged with a number of felonies tied to inappropriate relationships with students. --Tim Reeves

Selma Chief of Police William T. Riley was one of the law enforcement officials on hand Friday to take Selma High School teacher LaTanglia Williams into custody. She is charged with a number of felonies tied to inappropriate relationships with students. –Tim Reeves

After the Selma Police Department arrested Selma High School health teacher, LaTanglia Williams, 36, Friday for alleged inappropriate criminal behavior with more than one student, questions were raised about what action Superintendent Gerald Shirley and the Selma City School Board should take.

“We will wait until the initial report is done, and then after that, the superintendent will give [the school board] a call and then we will take action after that,” Henry Hicks, Selma City School Board president said Friday night. “Right now that [action] will come up under the superintendent and the principal and they will have to take care of that issue — once they bring something to the board, then they will react to it at that time.”

Williams was charged with possession of obscene matter containing visual depiction of persons under the age of 17 involved in obscene acts, electronic solicitation of a child, enticing a minor for immoral purposes and a misdemeanor charge for a school employee having sexual contact with a student.

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She was taken to the Dallas County Jail Friday evening and is being held on a combined bond of $1,006,000.

Hicks said he had not yet spoken to anyone else on the school board about Williams’ arrest, but noted the board was aware of the ongoing investigation prior to Friday’s arrest.

“The superintendent has not given me any information as of yet,” Hicks said. “If there is an allegation that warrants her to be put on administrative leave then that would be the next step. The superintendent will probably go ahead and place her on administrative leave and then after that bring a recommendation to the school board.”

The next scheduled school board work session is Tuesday, April 30. Hicks said if the board is called to meet before then, it will be considered an emergency meeting.

Shirley said he has been in contact with local law enforcement and is continuing to work with them.

“I don’t have anything specific [to say] right now. I’m still in the process of gathering information,” Shirley said Friday. “The only thing I can say right now is that we will follow the school board policy on this.”

According to Alabama Administrative Code 290-3-2-22, under the authority of the State Superintendent of Education the superintendent shall have the authority under existing legal standards to revoke any certificate held by a person who has been proven guilty of immoral conduct or unbecoming or indecent behavior in Alabama or any other state or nation in accordance with the Ala. Code. An individual whose certificate has been revoked, denied or suspended, may not be employed as an educator, paraprofessional aide or substitute teacher during the period of his or her revocation or suspension.

Friday, following the arrest on Selma High’s campus, Selma Chief of Police William T. Riley said the arrest was made with no advance notice given to Shirley, Selma High principal Wanda McCall or any other school official.

Riley did say his department did decide to make the arrest near the end of the scheduled school day to reduce any affect on school operations.