MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A DeSoto County elementary school teacher who supported convicted sexual offender Lindsey Whiteside will not be returning to DeSoto County Schools, according to a parent who received a message from the school.
Tuesday night, a parent of a student at Lewisburg Intermediate School shared a screenshot with WREG of a text message from SchoolStatus Classic, an app the school uses to communicate with parents.
She said it was sent by the school’s principal regarding 4th-grade teacher Ashley Ford’s job status.
The message stated, “In an effort to keep you informed of your child’s educational environment, we wanted to let you know that Ms. Ford will not be returning to DeSoto County Schools, pending full due process rights required under Mississippi law for licensed school employees. We remain committed to a safe and non-disruptive learning environment for all students.”
Ford, a teacher at Lewisburg Intermediate School, took a leave of absence beginning Monday. No reason was given.
A message sent to parents from the principal at Lewisburg Intermediate stated, “At this time, we wanted to ensure you were aware that Mrs. Ford will be out for an undetermined amount of time beginning Monday, October 20th.”
A group called Desoto County Parents for Accountability asked parents to keep their children home from school countywide on Wednesday to get their message of concern across.
That group also posted a photo of the new school message about Ford on Facebook Tuesday night.
One person commented that the message was only sent to the parents of Ford’s students.
On the same day Whiteside pleaded guilty to sexual battery of a minor, Ford testified in support of the former youth minister.
Ford told the court she and Whiteside were very close and she didn’t believe Whiteside was a criminal.
“She’s not going to hurt anybody. This is not going to happen again. I do not condone what she did. However, she’s not a threat to anyone in this community,” Ford said in court.
This comes as protesters are demanding the removal of school board member Michele Henley, who wrote a letter of support for Whiteside.
Henley has declined calls to step down from her position.
WREG has reached out to the Lewisburg Intermediate School Principal and DeSoto County Schools, but has not received a response.