The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) State Board ruled to suspend the teaching license of a Midlands high school coach who was accused of inappropriately communicating with multiple female students.
On Tuesday, Dylan N. Taylor, a former teacher and cross country coach at Gilbert High School in Lexington School District One, agreed to the State Board’s action to suspend his South Carolina educator certificate for 11 months from Aug. 11 2020 to July 13 2020, according to the SCDE report (posted below).
In January, Taylor was placed on administrative leave after a female student “reported receiving inappropriate communications from Mr. Taylor that made her feel uncomfortable.”
“On January 21, 2020, Mr. Taylor was allowed to return from administrative leave but was also issued a formal written reprimand by the District,” the SCDE report said. “After Mr. Taylor’s return, the student and three peers from the cross-country team then made complaints about other similar past statements.”
According to the order, Taylor was cooperative during the investigation, but resigned on March 2.
“Taylor has maintained that he did not have bad intentions or improper motivations in communicating with the student; however, he also acknowledged how his communications could cause concern in retrospect,” the SCDE order said.
After reviewing the incident, the SCDE State board found “that the evidence
presented would support a conclusion that Mr. Taylor engaged in unprofessional conduct as a result of engaging in inappropriate communications with students, which made those students feel uncomfortable,” the order said.
In addition to his license being suspended, Taylor has to complete a National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC) prevention and correction course before he can teach again in South Carolina.
Taylor’s order of suspension must be reported to the NASDTEC Clearinghouse and all South Carolina school districts, the report said.
On Tuesday, another South Carolina teacher was reprimanded for inappropriate communications with a student.
The SCDE board publicly reprimanded Joshua DeWayne Strickland, a math teacher at Boiling Springs High School in the Spartanburg School District Two, for unprofessional conduct as a result of engaging in inappropriate communications with a student.
“The State Board finds that the evidence presented by the District would not support a conclusion that just cause exists to suspend or revoke the educator certificate of Joshua DeWayne Strickland,” the order said.
“Strickland was placed on administrative leave on August 26, 2019, following allegations he exchanged inappropriate messages with a female student on social media,” the order (posted below) said. “The District investigation revealed a number of messages exchanged between Mr. Strickland and the student.”
However, in a statement to the district, Strickland said “he only intended a friendship with the student and did not mean for his actions to be inappropriate.”
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