Sequatchie County High School students protest former principal’s reassignment

SEQUATCHIE COUNTY, Tenn. (WDEF) – A group of Sequatchie County High School students want former Sequatchie County High School Principal Tommy Layne back.

Layne recently transferred from his position as principal to a teaching position at Griffith Elementary School.

A position that he has held since 1994.

On Tuesday, those students stood outside of the board of education building and held signs expressing their support for Layne.

“He’s been 50 years in education. The mans never done a bad thing wrong and I want to know what he’s done now to get him reassigned,” student Cody Angel said.

Hoping for answers the students spoke with Director of Schools Pete Swafford only to get some upsetting news.

“He said he cannot give us a reason, he is governed by law not to tell us that reason,” Angel said. “I think there’s something going on fishy here, in my opinion. I think he should be allowed to tell the student body why our principal was reassigned.”

Swafford declined to go on camera to talk about the situation, but said, “it’s not about students carrying jerseys onto the field.”

Students said seniors held up jerseys at the Grundy, Sequatchie football game earlier this month.

The jerseys, they said, were related to two former Grundy County Football players that had been accused of attempted aggravated rape.

Layne’s granddaughter Laura Cordell said the two Grundy county students now at Sequatchie County High School were supposed to be in an alternative school and no one told Layne.

“They looked over the files after this incident that happened and they noticed that they were supposed to be in alternative school and they weren’t, but my pawpaw was not the only one that had the files. He’s not the only one who handles them. So why is he taking the blame? It doesn’t make sense to me,” Cordell said.

Layne’s sister added that he is well-liked by people in the community and feels he was treated wrongly to be removed from his position as he’s on the verge of retiring in June.

Since Layne was transferred, the assistant principal at Sequatchie County High School has taken over as interim principal.