Schools
Salem High Fires Junior ROTC Program Director
The retired U.S. Marine Corps officer said his dismissal comes after a "heated" argument with an assistant principal.
SALEM, MA -- Lt. Col. Michael Hunter, who has been the lead instructor in Salem High School's Junior ROTC program for three years, was fired and escorted from school grounds by two police officers Friday afternoon. Hunter said the firing stems from an argument he had with Assistant Principal Jamie Flynn, following an incident in November when a student swore at him after he told the student to remove a hood he was wearing.
"I had talked to him about this kid before, and I told him, 'You've got to do something about this young-un. He needs to be held accountable,'" Hunter told the Salem News, which first reported this story. "We both got real heated, and we ended up being belly to belly with each other. I was frustrated because (the student) can't get the discipline he needs. Mr. Flynn was upset with me telling him what to do."
A spokeswoman for Salem Public Schools decline comment. The program's other instructor, 1st Sgt. David Grinstead, will head the program while the department looks for a permanent replacement.
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There 87 students enrolled in the Marine Corps Junior ROTC at Salem High. A parent of one of those students told the newspaper the ROTC cadets "were in tears" when they learned of Hunter's dismissal.
Hunter, 58, of Swampscott, was paid $93,752 as the senior Marine ROTC instructor at Salem High. His salary was split between the school department and the Marine Corp. Hunter served in the Marine Corps for 22 years, including a combat tour as a platoon commander in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, according to the Salem News.
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In 2011, Salem High School fired Maj. David Flores after multiple complaints were filed by Salem High staff members. A wrongful termination suit Flores filed was dismissed by a federal judge in January 2016.
For more on this story, see the Salem News. Subscribe to Salem Patch for more local news and real-time alerts.
Photo by U.S. Marines.
Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).
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