A Daphne Elementary P.E. coach who had been under investigation for possible sex abuse of a child has retired and will surrender his teaching certificate, which would disallow him from teaching again.
The Daphne Police Department has been investigating multiple complaints against William Davis involving several female Daphne Elementary students, and Davis was on paid administrative leave from his job with the school system since Oct. 20, 2017.
Davis had previously been arrested in June 2017 for violating a restraining order filed against him by his ex-wife. According to the court documents, Davis had allegedly physically abused her and threatened to kill her.
In a statement released to the media by the Baldwin County School System, a termination hearing had previously been scheduled for Davis.
“He has not returned to campus since being placed on leave, and he was recommended for termination by the superintendent,” the statement said. “A termination hearing was pending. In the meantime, the employee informed the Board that he was retiring. The retirement was accepted by the Board at its regularly-scheduled meeting, Feb. 22, 2018.”
The statement said Davis would be allowed to get his earned retirement, which the Baldwin County system had no authority to withhold from him.
“Retirements are handled exclusively by the Retirement Systems of Alabama and if an employee meets eligibility criteria, he or she is qualified to retire and receive benefits under RSA guidelines,” the statement said. “Further, in connection with William Davis’ retirement, Mr. Davis irrevocably surrendered his teaching certificate. In accordance with the requirements of the Alabama State Department of Education, when an employee surrenders his or her certificate, the employee is no longer eligible to teach or hold any position in any Alabama public school, nor is the employee eligible to receive, renew or reinstate the certification.”
