Atlantic's new band director dismissed (FL)

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Atlantic's new band director dismissed

By Christina DeNardo, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Friday, September 28, 2007

DELRAY BEACH - When rumors began circulating about the new band director at
Atlantic High, some students decided to plug his name into Google.

The search on David Faulk turned up several newspaper articles from South
Carolina describing his arrest on embezzlement charges, his termination and
the suspension of his teaching certificate. Students also read about the
trouble Faulk ran into at his next job - students accused him of
inappropriate behavior, prompting him to resign earlier this year.

Despite the allegations, Faulk, who also taught music, had become popular
among Atlantic High's marching band in the short month since school started.

But this week the band director's troubled past caught up with him. On
Monday, Principal Kathleen Weigel called Faulk into her office and abruptly
fired him. She gave him no reason for her decision.

Though it is unclear why Faulk was fired - principals can fire teachers
during their first three months without giving a reason - students said one
band member complained to school officials because Faulk's past made her
uneasy.

Faulk said the allegations from his previous jobs and the suspension of his
teaching certificate were never a secret.

"I did not try to hide anything from anybody," Faulk said. "They did the
background checks and I was hired."

School district spokesman Nat Harrington said the district conducted
background checks properly and they revealed no problems. Weigel did not
return phone calls Thursday.

Faulk's lawyer said school officials have not accused Faulk of misconduct
and believes administrators decided to get rid of him rather than defend him
because of fear of angering parents.

"There's a hysteria factor here," Susan Brach said from her office in South
Carolina. "There is a lot of information floating around. None of it panned
out. But when you have that sort of allegation, the allegation is the
important thing, not the truth. Then hysteria sets in."

Arrest, but no conviction

Faulk was arrested in February 2000 on charges of embezzling nearly $7,000
from a band fund-raiser at North Augusta High School in South Carolina. He
was not convicted and the arrest was expunged.

Faulk denies stealing the money but said he was held responsible because he
was director of the band. He paid back more than $1,500, he said. His arrest
prompted the state to suspend his teaching certificate for three years.

Following the suspension, he moved to Georgia and began to teach there. When
Georgia officials discovered the suspension they suspended his license, too.
Both certificates were reinstated in November 2003. In 2004, he got a job as
band director at Hilton Head (S.C.) High.

At Hilton Head, students began accusing Faulk of making them feel
uncomfortable. In 2006, a student said Faulk walked into the band room and
shut off the light, the Island Packet newspaper reported. Later that year,
Faulk let some boys to take off their shirts during summer camp. When two
girls protested, he allegedly replied that if they were wearing bikinis they
could take off their shirts, the newspaper reported. Another girl accused
Faulk of saying he would kidnap her and run away together when she turned
17.

He was also accused of using drumsticks, magazines, paper and his foot to
kick and hit girls on their behinds.

In March, the Beaufort County School District put him on paid leave, but the
outcome of the investigation was not made public and it's not clear if he
was disciplined. A call to the school district was not returned Thursday.

In Florida, prospective teachers undergo a national and state criminal
background check. Applicants are also asked to describe any arrests. Faulk
said he explained his embezzlement arrest on his application.

Students grapple with loss

The state also runs prospective teachers through a national clearinghouse
that tells them whether teachers have had their licenses suspended, denied
or revoked in other states. Faulk said the state knew about the suspension
of his teaching certificate in South Carolina because it sought more
information about the case.

Unjin Lee, the drum major in Atlantic's marching band, said Faulk's past
didn't bother many of the students who knew about it. He ran Faulk's name
through Google after hearing that the band director had embezzled money. He
said many students knew about the articles describing Faulk's alleged
misconduct, but they continued to support him.

"They are just allegations, and even if they were true, they were in his
past," said Lee, 17.
Band parent Elizabeth Maddox said Faulk deserved a second chance and said
that teachers can easily become the subject of investigations.

"All you need is one kid that is mad about you and those stories spread
around school like wildfire," she said.

As students grapple with the loss of their popular band director, a new
music teacher and interim band director has been named. But Weigel's
decision to cancel tonight's band performance at Boynton Beach High and
Cavalcade of Bands competition at Olympic Heights on Saturday angered
students and parents.

"Kids have had a tough time this week," Maddox said. "They need to do
something together as a group to keep them together as a team."


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