Principals ask to block embattled substitute

ALBANY, Ga. — While teaching a class in May at Albany High, 19-year substitute teacher Gregory Crews allegedly told a female student while he taught a class that he had heard from a male student that she performed an act of oral sex.

Since Crews’ name was removed from the Dougherty County Board of Education’s May 26 board agenda, no action by the board has been taken on Crews’ case. However, Board Chairman David Maschke said Crews was blocked from substitute teaching the rest of the 2009-10 school year.

A spokesperson for the Dougherty County School System Police Department said, “There is no investigation; everything was handled administratively.”

Crews, 47, attended Monday night’s board meeting, as he frequently does, and shook board members’ hands after the meeting concluded. As he waited during the board’s 39-minute closed session, the 1981 Albany High graduate told The Albany Herald that he had, “No comment. I’ll have my comments when everything is over with.” He also informed the reporter that he had a lawyer.

The Albany Herald filed an Open Records Act request for Crews’ personnel file and received 140 pages of documentation.

Retired principal Erasmus Dent submitted a “work-related recommendation form” on behalf of Crews to become a substitute teacher Aug. 18, 1988. Dent stated that he had known Crews for “10 years in church-community & family.”

“In my opinion, this applicant can and will give excellent service,” Dent wrote.

In the confidential area of the form, Kent marked that Crews was “excellent” for character, reliability, honesty, health and cooperation. He marked that he was “good” in personal appearance, personality, intellectual capacity, commonsense and good judgment.

According to information furnished, Crews started working for the school system in August 1991 and over the years has been a long-term substitute several times. On his 2006 substitute teacher application, Crews listed Albany High Principal Sheila Marshall and Dougherty Comprehensive Principal Horace Reid as his references.

As result of the alleged May incident at Albany High, Marshall asked DCSS Human Resources Director Tracy S. Williams that Crews “no longer be allowed to sub at Albany High.” In March 2007, Reid wrote an e-mail that Crews be removed from that school’s sub list.

“For the past three weeks administration has requested Mr. Crews meet with us pertaining to an incident he was involved with here in the school and he refuses to comply,” Reid wrote. The e-mail didn’t detail what the incident was.

On his yearly substitute application form in the area of the “Subjects You Prefer to Teaching,” Crews usually marked all of them — English, science, mathematics, business ed., social science, health/physical ed., vocational and home ec. and added art as another subject. He also stated he preferred substituting at the high-school level.

During Fiscal Year 2008, Crews earned $2,735.46 and in ’09 he earned $4,367.35, according to Open.Georgia.gov. The Dougherty County School System pays regular substitute teachers $58.50 per day, according to information available on its website, docoschools.org. Long-term subs make $76.50 per day. Subs must attend a four-hour mandatory seminar, they must present an official college transcript with a minimum of 45 credit hours, pay $34 for a Georgia Crime Information Center fingerprint record check and pass a security clearance.

“If you are chosen to meet this serious responsibility, it is expected to be handled in a professional manner,” states the school system’s philosophy on substitute teachers.

Human Resources Director Williams said July 1 new procedures will be established for substitute teachers.

“Long-term subs will need to meet a certification code,” she said after Monday night’s board meeting. “(For) regular subs, educational backgrounds will be enhanced and they will need to operate the technology and equipment found in our classrooms.”

Williams also explained that substitute teaching is “just a voluntarily, one-day commitment.”

“(Crews) can choose to accept the one-day assignment,” she said. “There’s nothing beyond a one-day commitment at a time.”

In March 7, 1993, Crews received a misdemeanor from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office for “driving while license suspended or revoked.” The charge was dismissed on Oct. 1, 1993.

Crews received a letter from Executive Director of Operations and Business Services Robert Lloyd for wage garnishment on July 29, 2004, June 6, 2005, and March 29, 2006. Crews received a civil action filed by Pioneer Financial LLC Nov. 15, 2006, for debt allegedly owed to the company. On Nov. 30, 2006, Lloyd wrote to Crews that he had received a notice of garnishment summons.

On his April 13, 2006, application form, Crews circled that he had a DWI (driving while intoxicated) conviction. However, Crews called The Herald Wednesday afternoon and contends that he never had a DWI conviction.

According to an Albany Junior (now Darton) College transcript that was part of the documentation, Crews attended the school in 1981, ’82, ’83, ’85. The documents show Crews was placed on academic probation by the college after the 1983 winter quarter when he earned a 1.43 grade point average, causing his cumulative GPA to drop to 1.58. Crews earned D’s in the spring 1982 quarter in classes titled “Understanding Music,” “Volleyball” and “Beginning Tennis.” In his “Principles of Accounting 2” class in winter ’83, he earned a D grade.

Crews later was “Reinstated on Academic Probation by Appeals Committee,” but the date that occurred isn’t clearly stated on the transcript. Lori Bullington, records specialist at Darton, told The Herald that Crews graduated with associate of science in business administration in 1994.

Crews later enrolled at Albany State University between 1985 and ’88, but didn’t earn a degree, said Fay Hill, a clerical assistant in the ASU Registrar’s Office.

“It doesn’t show a major in the system,” Hill said. She also said the system didn’t indicate if Crews was a full-time student at the school.

Crews, who has always listed his martial status as single on his tax forms, also maintains an active MySpace page.