Former Apalachee Teacher Plans to Continue Case Against Barrow County Schools

A former English teacher plans to continue her case against the Barrow County School System, according to reports by the and .

Ashley Payne made national headlines in 2009 when school administrators asked her to resign after receiving an anonymous tip about photos posted on her personal Facebook page showing her holding alcohol.

Last week, a  judge denied Ashley Payne’s writ of mandamus, which, if approved, would have compelled the school board to give her a hearing to decide whether the content on her Facebook page would warrant her suspension or termination. The mandamus also requested that the district compensate Payne from the date of her resignation in 2009 through the end of that school year.

“The judge did grant Barrow’s motion for summary judgment on the mandamus claim, indicating that for technical reasons, mandamus is not available. However, all the other claims we made in our amended complaint are still pending,” Payne wrote in an e-mail to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which reported Payne's attorney is now seeking monetary damages, arguing Payne was deprived of her property rights without due process because school administrators pressured her to resign by misrepresenting that a parent had complained even though the school system had no idea of the source of the e-mail.

Payne said she had activated privacy settings on the Facebook page and did not communicate with students through the site.

We want to know what you think — should Payne be compensated for being fired without due process? Tell us in comments below.