Stress hospitalizes substitute

The stress might have been too much.

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Substitute teacher Frederick Jones - who told police he was losing control of his sixth-grade class at Murphey Middle School on Wednesday when he warned pupils he had a gun - was hospitalized for stress-related problems over the weekend. He attempted suicide and was being evaluated at Medical College of Georgia Hospital, according to Patricia Barton, caregiver at the personal care home where the disabled man resides.

"It had been on TV all day long, and he might have been hearing it all day long that he had threatened some children," Ms. Barton said.

But an investigative file released Monday indicates Mr. Jones' assignment was in a chaotic classroom that even the regular teacher couldn't control.

District Attorney Danny Craig, who declined to prosecute, called Mr. Jones' case "a very sad story."

Mr. Jones suffers from severe physical handicaps that require him to be transported to school by his caregiver. He had never been arrested and did not own a gun.

Mr. Jones, 46, had been a substitute teacher for a year and a half, using the job to supplement his disability payments. Last Wednesday's assignment was his first at a middle school. It didn't go well.

In a statement, Mr. Craig noted the conditions of the class.

"When he entered the class, he encountered complete bedlam - a classroom full of students who refused to sit down; who ignored all his instructions; and who talked loudly among themselves. In an effort to bring the class to order, Mr. Jones used words that some of the students found threatening," he said.

Mr. Jones told police he warned the class he had a gun to get them under control. "Jones stated that this was the worst class he ever substituted for and he thought if he could get the children under control he would be able to handle the other classes later in the day," a police report said.

Mr. Craig said there was "a disturbing absence of any semblance of grade-level education or educational environment in the classroom to which Mr. Jones was assigned."

The district attorney said he hoped Richmond County residents would be incensed enough with the failure of the educational process that they would demand change.

Reacting to Mr. Craig's statement, Schools Superintendent Charles Larke said he is aware of the problems at the school.

"The school did not make adequate yearly progress for six consecutive years and will now become a charter school, specifically for that reason," Dr. Larke said in an e-mail. "We've hired a new principal. They will hire a new staff. We intend to improve the educational process at Murphey, ensuring that the students attending get the instruction that they not only need, but so richly deserve."

The school district took Mr. Jones off its substitute teacher list as it conducts an internal investigation. But Mr. Jones told sheriff's investigators last week that he never wanted to serve as a substitute teacher again.

Reach Greg Rickabaugh at (706) 828-3851 or greg.rickabaugh@augustachronicle.com.