Fullmer fired

Bonnie Fullmer, testing and acountability director for the Pea Ridge School District, is on paid leave following an incident involving her reportedly gaining access to a school employee's personal phone under false pretenses, accoding to a termination letter dated Dec. 20, 2017.

According to the letter, obtained through a Freedom of Information request, Fullmer was "suspended with pay on Dec. 18" and the school superintendent, Rick Neal, has recommended her contract be immediately terminated for "conduct that materially interferes with the continued performance of your duties, material neglect of your duty, and for other just cause and reasonable cause."

Reasons listed in the termination letter include:

1. Obtaining the access code of a school employee's personal phone under false pretense;

2. Intentionally and without authorization accessing a school employee's personal phone;

3. Intentionally and without authorization deleting text messages from a school employee's personal phone;

4. Computer trespass;

5. Unprofessional behavior;

6. Unethical behavior; and

7. Violation of Code of Ethics for Arkansas Educators Standard 2.

Fullmer is entitled to a hearing before the School Board and must give notice of such within 30 days of the termination.

Fullmer was hired in 2003 as principal of Pea Ridge Middle School. She has most recently served in the administrative office. Prior to coming to Pea Ridge, Fullmer was counselor at Gravette schools for three years and taught for 11 years at the third-, sixth- and eighth-grade levels. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees from John Brown Univesity, Siloam Springs.

General News on 01/10/2018