Meeting held to discuss recent arrests at Vina High School
VINA – The Vina community came together Monday evening to discuss the recent arrests of two of the school’s teachers, who were each accused of having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student.
Vina physical education teacher Sonny Dewaine Tibbs, 35, of Hamilton, was arrested on Nov. 8 and charged with three counts of being a school employee engaging in a sexual act with a student under the age of 19, for his alleged affair with a VHS female senior.
Less than a week later, the boys’ basketball coach, Brian Scott Keeton, 38, of Carbon Hill, was arrested on one count of the same charge for his alleged affair with a different VHS senior girl that was discovered during Tibbs’ investigation.
The arrests stirred up plenty of reactions from the community, including questions and concerns from many parents.
The meeting on Monday was orchestrated by school officials who felt it was important to address the issue and alleviate any concerns the parents or other community members might have.
“We just felt like this would be the best way to address all of the questions and concerns at one time,” Franklin County Assistant Superintendent Donald Borden said.
Franklin County Sheriff Shannon Oliver was present at the meeting and addressed the rumor of a third teacher who might be arrested for the same charges.
“These were the only two,” Oliver said. “After we were investigating the first teacher, news of the second affair came out, but these were the only two teachers implicated in this type of behavior.”
During the meeting, Franklin County District Attorney Joey Rushing addressed the criminal repercussions of a teacher having an affair with a student – something that has been made illegal by a law introduced in the Alabama legislature in 2010.
Officials also took questions from the audience of more than 60 people, which mainly consisted of parents who voiced concerns such as to why the two teachers were still on paid suspension.
Franklin County Superintendent Gary Williams, who was out of town and could not be present at Monday’s meeting, said the school board was following what the law mandated in such situations.
“Teachers, by law, have to receive their due process,” Williams said.
“There is a certain amount of time that must pass depending on whether a teacher is suspended or terminated, and we cannot withhold pay from a teacher during that time. There are some exceptions to this, but they are very few.
“We realize this has been a concern of may people in the community, but the school board is following the law in these situations.”
Dr. Amber Paulk, assistant professor of sociology and family studies at the University of North Alabama, was also present at the meeting to make parents, teachers and students aware of certain behaviors to observe and how to discuss these different behaviors with each other.
“I think the meeting went very well, and I think the speakers and officials did a good job explaining the situation and answering questions,” Borden said.
“Vina is a good school, with good teachers, good students, and a good administration, and we want the parents and the community to feel like it is still a safe and secure place for their children to be.
“These incidents have caused a lot of negative opinions and discussion about Vina, but we want people to understand that this isn’t a reflection on Vina High School or the Vina community as a whole. It is a reflection on a couple of people and the bad choices they made.
“Hopefully this meeting helped people to see that.”
