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DougCo teacher who called teenager 'Hitler Youth' leaves district with payout, paid vacation

In an effort to avoid "ongoing dismissal litigation," the Douglas County School District has reached a resignation settlement with Michelle Grissom.

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. — A teacher who stepped into a national controversy earlier this year has reached an agreement with the Douglas County School District regarding the terms of her resignation.

Michelle Grissom will get $25,000 in addition to her 14 weeks of paid time off.

Grissom has been on paid leave since January, when she posted comments on social media about an incident in Washington D.C. involving students from Covington Catholic High School, in Kentucky, and a Native American activist.

A video that went viral showed a face-to-face confrontation between one student, there with his classmates for the March for Life rally that opposes abortion, and the Omaha Tribe elder, in D.C. for the Indigenous Peoples March. 

Grissom, previously a union leader and a teacher at Mountain Ridge Middle School, wrongly identified another Covington Catholic student as the instigator, putting his name online and calling him “Hitler Youth.” The student named by Grissom was at a basketball game in Kentucky at the time of the incident, his family said.

Grissom apologized and resigned from her position on the union board after the comments became public.

Per the agreement, Grissom’s resignation became final on May 1. She cannot work for DougCo again, and she cannot bring any legal action against the district.

“We believe the agreement is in the best interest of the Douglas County School District as it addresses our community’s concerns regarding Ms. Grissom’s continued employment, avoids the distraction of the ongoing dismissal litigation, and ends the continued expense and uncertainty involved in the teacher dismissal process,” the superintendent, Dr. Thomas S. Tucker, said in a statement.

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