TIFTON — Tift County Schools superintendent Adam Hathaway and Tift County High School principal Chad Stone were both placed on administrative leave early last week.

After a long and tumultuous discussion during their special called meeting Sep. 20, the members of the TCS board of education elected to impose an indefinite leave on Hathaway and a 5-day administrative leave for Stone.

This meeting and the subsequent decision came as a result of Stone’s announcement of his retirement earlier last week on social media.

Stone had explained during said post that he had, on numerous occasions, been confronted by TCS leaders about possibly benefitting from his position, such as when community members had raised funds to pay for his daughter’s surgery without his input in January 2021, and that they had suspected his recent social media activity had been in a similar vein to aid in helping him win the national award for Principal of the Year.

Though hurt by the accusation as he insisted he had no intentions of doing anything of this sort, Stone felt that his actions had harmed the school system, and believed it would be best if he resigned from his position at the end of the year. He reported that he had arranged with the school board to retire Jun 30.

Incensed by the accusations made by TCS leaders and believing that they may have even pressured him into retiring, local residents came out in droves to the called meeting to speak in defense of Stone.

These residents warned that losing Stone would greatly harm the community, citing his passion for his work and extensive involvement with his students, their families, and the Tiftarea community, even after those students had left his school. Criticism was particularly aimed at Hathaway, with some in the audience accusing him of not getting as involved in the community as Stone or being focused solely on athletics or money.

Tempers also flared over TCHS football coach Noel Dean, who had been handpicked by Hathaway and was blamed for the football team’s poor performance in recent years. Community members in attendance called for both his and Hathaway’s removal, with a few even calling for Stone to be made superintendent in his place.

After hearing out a few members of the community in a public hearing, board members elected to discuss matters in an executive session, leaving their audience to wait nearly five hours for any form of announcement, their private deliberation only briefly interrupted by a motion to appoint W. Brent Hyde of Hall, Booth, and Smith as legal counsel.

At the conclusion of the long wait, the decision to put both Hathaway and Stone on leave was handed down. Assistant superintendent Mickey Weldon was instated as acting school superintendent, while Bradley Winger was assigned as acting principal of TCHS until Stone’s leave expired.

Stone made a public statement once the board had made the decision to adjourn, assuring the assembled crowd that his retirement was solely his decision due to believing that his recent actions had truly damaged the school system and community and that his departure would make the community “better today than yesterday.” He thanked those in attendance for their support and exited the meeting hall to a chorus of applause and assurances of forgiveness.