Attorney: Teacher Cleared to Return to Classroom

The lawyer representing Hillsborough High School teacher Jeffrey Kampf, who was suspended with pay at Monday's Board of Education meeting pending an investigation, said Friday Kampf has been cleared and is able to return to work Monday.

"The fact is that the administration completed its investigation some time yesterday afternoon, and, based upon that investigation, the Superintendent reinstated Mr. Kampf in less than 24 hours," attorney Paul Barger said. "That sums up the strength of the administration’s alleged charges against Mr. Kampf.  Once the administration interviewed Mr. Kampf, there was no choice but to allow him to get back in front of his students. 

"There is a great deal of speculation about the substance of the charges. Mr. Kampf prefers not to speak about the specific, alleged incidents so as not to create problems for any individual students. We can state that the alleged charges, even if true, did not warrant a suspension.  

"In order to dispel one rumor, Mr. Kampf has never been suspended for anything in his curriculum or for any assignments, including the requirement that students view and analyze the film “Flight.”

"Mr. Kampf’s students raised their voices against this obvious injustice, and Mr. Kampf is truly proud of the action that they took on his behalf. He wants to thank everyone who supported him during this difficult time, including alumni and parents.  He looks forward to resuming instruction on Monday." 

Dozens of parents and students appealed to the board at Monday's meeting, urging members not to suspend Kampf, who was not identified by the board in accordance with personnel privacy rules. The public discussion at the meeting, with disclosure of the his name complicated the vote for some board members, because of privacy rules.

According to posts on a Facebook page posted in support of Kampf, the complaint under investigation concerned comments he allegedly made that involved profanity, discussion of alcohol and the movie "Flight."