Ohio teacher fired over class action

TRENTON, Ohio, June 13 (UPI) -- A high school teacher in Trenton, Ohio, reportedly was fired last week after complaints were made on his handling of a recent assignment.

The Cincinnati Enquirer said Kevin Johnson was fired for reading aloud papers he had his students write in which they each guessed what their fellow students would be doing in 20 years.

The school district quickly began getting complaints from parents whose children were hurt or embarrassed from Johnson reading the papers aloud, prompting the school to place him on administrative leave.

The incident is the second time Johnson, 42, has been in trouble at the school in his 15 years there, the Enquirer reports. In November, Johnson was forced to work 10 days without pay after a random check discovered he had used the school's computer to send e-mails of a sexual nature, the newspaper said.

"I think the school board made an inappropriate decision and they should have used progressive discipline," Johnson's attorney J.C. Shew said regarding the most recent incident, "He's an outstanding teacher. He's been a terrific teacher for the kids and they should not have given him the notice of intent to discharge."