Sylacauga school board accepts teachers resignation

Rodricus Thomas

The Sylacauga Board of Education unanimously approved the resignation of middle school teacher Rodricus Thomas during acalled meeting Thursday morning.  Thomas was recently charged with two counts of rape in the second degree and two counts of a school employee engaging in a sex act or deviant sexual intercourse with a student under the age of 19 years.  Superintendent Dr. Todd Freeman said he received Thomas’ resignation letter Jan. 15, at which time the emergency board meeting was scheduled for 7:30 a.m. Thursday.  Thomas was a seventh- and eighth-grade boys’ physical education teacher at Nichols-Lawson Middle School and also coached middle school boys’ basketball and football. He had been on paid administrative leave since his initial arrest Dec. 29.  Thomas had worked at Nichols-Lawson Middle School since 2008. He graduated from Sylacauga High School in 2000 and from Jacksonville State University in 2006.