Randolph Forde’s teaching career in Clayton County ended Tuesday, three months after he was arrested for allegedly putting a hit on a student he thought was gay.
The nine-member school board upheld the earlier recommendation of a tribunal to dump Forde, who was a teacher at Mundy’s Mill High School, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“We ratified the tribunal’s decision,” Chairwoman Alieka Anderson said.
The student’s attorney, Terrence Madden, said the school didn’t do enough early enough to address the situation between his client and Forde.
“My client is having a hard time. He’s under psychological care. He had to change schools, and he is still being teased, called a tattletale,” Madden said Tuesday night.
“He has no place teaching young, developing minds,” Madden said of Forde. “Even if he was kidding, it’s still egregious.”
Forde still faces criminal prosecution on charges that he allegedly pulled the 16-year-old student out of class and asked him if he was gay when he was seen dancing with another male student. In an altercation the next day, the teacher threatened “to hit him in his fucking mouth,” according to police reports. A few days later, Forde asked another student to “put a hit” on the teenager, the police report states.
Forde spoke publicly about the case in December.
“One of the things that I hope for is that when this is done, people take the time to listen to the truth and repair my image,” Forde said. “It has caused a lot of damage as far as losing my job, paying for an attorney. It is also embarrassing for my wife.”