DETROIT (CN) - A tenure committee made the right decision in sparing a teacher's job after he gave a student an air gun on school property, the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled.
James Lewis' career at Bridgman Public Schools has been marked by disciplinary action and well as positive contributions.
Lewis has also gotten into trouble for bringing his dog onto school property, lifting a female student off the ground from behind, and telling a high jumper to arch his back like "there is a vagina in the sky."
The school board fired Lewis, but the tenure committee changed the discipline to a suspension without pay. Judge Fitzgerald ruled that Lewis' positive contributions merited the reduced punishment.
In his work as a teacher and coach, Lewis is "positive, upbeat, good with students, and a passionate and effective coach," Fitzgerald wrote about the assessment from Lewis' peers.
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