Barrow Journal

The results are in and Barrow County Schools have fared about average in the Georgia Public Policy Foundation’s (GPPF) 2010 report card for parents. [Full Story »] 

Superior Court judge David Motes has ordered a hearing later this month in the case of Ashley Payne vs. the Barrow County School District.

The hearing was set in response to a motion filed by the school district requesting that Payne be compelled to “respond sufficiently” to the district’s interrogatories and request for production of documents.

According to the motion filed in Barrow County Superior Court, Payne and her attorneys responded to the discovery requests on February 9. However, the school district claims that Payne objected to several questions without proper legal basis and provided “evasive and insufficient responses.”

A former Apalachee High School teacher, Payne filed suit against the Barrow County School system in October of 2009 claiming she was forced to resign because of her activity on the popular social networking site Facebook. The “questionable” activity included posting vacation photos which showed Payne holding a glass of what was presumed to be an alcoholic beverage. [Full Story »] 

A former Barrow County School system employee has been charged with solicitation of sodomy.

Gregory Lamar Brock, 30, of 154 Creekwood Road in Winder, was recently fired from his job as a bus driver after school officials learned of “inappropriate contact” between Brock and a student. Brock is accused of soliciting sex from the 16-year-old female.

Brock was taken into custody on April 5 and bonded out the following day.

The student’s stepfather contacted police after learning his stepdaughter and Brock had been texting each other. The stepfather said he sent a text to Brock asking why he was texting his stepdaughter. In responding to the text, Brock wrote that he did not recognize the number from which the stepfather’s text originated. The stepfather said he later discovered that Brock changed his number immediately after receiving the text. [Full Story »]