Liberty Township, Ohio (WXIX/Gray News) A high school English teacher in Ohio is facing firing after reportedly calling in sick for two days to attend a concert in Nashville, Tennessee, according to district records.
Eileen Washburn, an English teacher at Lakota West High School in the Lakota Local School District, is now on unpaid leave due to a likely termination.
Washburn is not just a teacher, but she also serves on the board of education for another adjacent school system, the Loveland City School system, according to its website.
Both districts are located in the northern suburbs of Cincinnati.
At a board meeting this week for Lakota Local Schools, where Washburn teaches, members opted to retain her on unpaid leave until the next meeting, when they will vote on her firing.
According to board meeting documents, Washburn “falsified sick leave” on February 8 and 9, telling many coworkers she was going to a performance in Nashville.
The school board stated that Washburn declined to answer inquiries about her location at the time and refused to give facts about her supposed need for sick leave.
Interim Superintendent Elizabeth Lolli recommended that the board extend Washburn’s present suspension without pay and vote to fire her at their next meeting on April 22, unless “Washburn files a written demand for a hearing within the time required,” according to records.
