RESIGNATION ACCEPTED
ARREST reported Mar 10, 2007 - James "Benny" Washington, 47, a 
Woodham High School history teacher and coach, was arrested Thursday night on three narcotics charges, including one felony.
During a traffic stop, police reportedly found cocaine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia in his vehicle.
He has been suspended with pay. [There is a whole list of complaints from his personnel file at the sidebar at the left.]
SUSPENDED Mar 26 - The Escambia County School Board voted unanimously Monday to suspend Washington without pay.
PRE-TRIAL INTERVENTION Nov 13 - Washington agreed to enter a pre-trial intervention program. If he successfully completes the year-long program that includes substance-abuse counseling, community service and random drug testing, the state will drop the two misdemeanor and one felony narcotics charges against Washington.
RESIGNATION Dec 18 - The Escambia County School Board voted to allow Washington to resign.
Superintendent Jim Paul recommended Washington be fired but said he would allow Washington to resign if he wrote a letter of resignation saying he was quitting because of his arrest and use of drugs. Washington wanted to resign "like everyone else is allowed to."
Three board members voted to accept Washington's resignation on his own terms.
Dec 20 - Editorial by the Pensacola News-Journal objecting to the Board's decision to let Washington resign.
Washington should be fired, or allowed to resign only by acknowledging the charges in the letter of resignation.The Board, they conclude, made the wrong decision.
The district was previously burned by hiring a teacher who was able to hide similarly serious problems elsewhere, and Paul doesn't want to pass his district's problems onto another.
Washington's practical interest in resigning, without acknowledging the circumstances, is that it keeps open the chance he can retain his teaching certificate.
