Two teachers pulled from classroom

TAMPA -- Teachers at two Hillsborough County high schools have been pulled from classrooms amid allegations of inappropriate conduct with students.

A soccer coach at Newsome High and a physics teacher at Plant High are under investigation, according to school officials.

At Newsome High, an assistant principal received a call yesterday from a parent claiming that boy's soccer coach Ronald Lewis, 37, "was having an inappropriate relationship with a student," school spokeswoman Linda Cobbe said.

She said the charges involved a female student. Lewis, a computer lab manager who has worked at the east Hillsborough school since August, is suspended with pay pending the outcome of an investigation.

Due to the nature of the allegations at Newsome, school officials turned the case over to law enforcement.

At South Tampa's Plant High, physics teacher Christopher Gillis, 22, was removed from the school this morning following allegations that he sent inappropriate emails to a female student.

An assistant principal at Plant learned of the emails yesterday after running into the student in the hallway, Cobbe said. After asking how she was doing, the administrator heard about the concerning emails.

Gillis was Plant this morning, but pulled from the classroom so district officials could investigate, Cobbe said. School officials removed a laptop from his home, but do not know how long the investigation will take.

Gillis began teaching with the school system in August.

Comments

[FreeGillis]

Gillis is 100% innocent. Students at Plant High have been left without a teacher for months now all because of a FALSE accusation that was taken out of hand..

[Suzie Creamcheese]

Nerissa,
I have heard 3rd and 4th hand info about this and something is not right.
Please feel free to post relevant info on my blog. Suzie

[Nerissa Johnson]

To Whom It May Concern,

I am the sister-in-law of Christopher Gills and I can assure you, he had no part or any foul whatsoever with this student. I have known him since he was 13 years old. To even think the slightest ill of him is ridiculous. He is a fine upstanding individual and I 100% support his innocence regarding this matter.

You are entitled to your opinion, I am entitled to fact.

[me]

WHY is it that if a teacher or administrator is charged, their records are on the DOE web site?...(a state sponsored web site for misdeeds of certified personnel)

Yet if a custodian, food service person,school secretary, etc do the same misdeed their names are not listed?

And why aren't the politicians, judges, commissioners', cops, firefighters,etc names whose paychecks also come from taxpayer's money also listed?

Why oh why are the instructional personnel in Florida singled out even though we know there are others who do equally bad things yet do not have their names and convictions plastered on a public web site.

Why be held to such a high standard for such a pathetic paycheck...it's a wonder there are even any people left who want to be teachers....

Oh I forgot THAT'S WHY THERE IS A TEACHER SHORTAGE...AND NO ONE WANTS THE JOB.

[CONNECTED]

If you've read the full report on Ronnie Lewis, you should be aware that this girl is now 18. Yes, it supposedly started when she was 17, but correct me if I'm wrong, at 17 you are well aware of what your doing. A month's time isn't going to change that. Some pathetic person sold this story to the news stations for their own greed, without knowing weather it was true AND ruining those lives of which were involved. The news stations need to get it under control. Taking this girl's Facebook pictures at showing them on the news with a blurred face and portraying her as a bad person (ex. alcohol bottles)..who are they to decide? She is 18 now, this should be a private matter between the two families. Not paraded all over the news for gossipers to feed off of. What has this world come to? This whole scandal does not seem civil by any means.

[david]

Yep CW its much better in Pinellas all parents have to worry about over there are the guns that the students bring to school!!!

[Update]

Check the news - Lewis arrested 7 felony counts

[Timmy!]

Knowing a teacher who's reputation and career was ruined by a charge that was proven false and spurious: I will wait for evidence.

It is entirely too easy to ruin anyone's life as evidenced by some of the comments.

Once proven guilty: throw the book at 'em.

[FURT]

If this is true, then I expect to see these two punished to the fullest extent. But it is possible these allegations are false---after all, we don't have the full story and there hasn't even been an investigation. This is highly irresponsible to print these men's names without verifying the allegations first. As a teacher it is very scary to think that I could be pulled out of my classroom because a parent makes an allegation against and then have my reputation forever tarnished by having my name printed. It is also reprehensible not to detail how the email was inappropriate...it could have contained profanity or something like that....yet everyone assumes it is sexual. It is also extremely easy to change the content of emails before printing them so I hope the school board verified the contents before doing this. If not--and these allegations are found to be false then I hope they sue the pants off them. Even if these men are found not guilty or the allegations are false I can't wait to see how many people are blogging on how the St. Pete times has ruined these men forever.

[Broken Hearted]

I think that we should take a serious stand against this behavior; that is, like life in prison without parole. Before an individual teacher accepts a position with a county, he or she should should be made aware of the what's right or wrong in the classroom, and then sign a paper stating that they undersand the consequences. When this stuff happens, they are escorted away and there is no dicussion about it.

[Virgin Cynic]

So an inappropriate email trumps an affair?

Can I see the email?

Can I see the girl?

[voxy]

THERE"S DEFINITELY something in the water here in tampa. SOMETHING BAD. But, most of the homes in South Tampa where the 'errr' 'powerful' live are connected to the good water which magically enough is located RIGHT ON the Plant High campus. They pretend they're moving there for the 'bought and paid for' football program but it's THE WATER.
Guaranteed safe water.
People will slice and dice their way in there at any cost though many of the recently built homes sit QUITE EMPTY while someone decorates them for the seasons like that is supposed to fool anyone.

[ALSO PLANT ALUM]

Class of '04 like none before

[Plant Alumni]

Sounds like Gillis was more interested in some hands on Anatomy than Physics...

Class of '04 baby!

[CW]

wow I'm glad my kids aren't in Tampa schools. This seems like a monthly occurrence. Are they putting something in the water down there or what?

Grammar check?