STUDENTS "HOT" AFTER TEACHER FINED - Fire Marshal Issues Citation Because Door Was Propped

(12/06/2004)

Monroe County teacher Susanna Robinson is facing a fine of up to a thousand dollars and 90 days in jail because she propped open her classroom door with a rubber doorstop. Assistant Fire Marshal Charles Vanatter issued the fire code violation and confiscated the doorstop during a visit to Mountain View Elementary and Middle School in Union. A court date has not been set for the sixth grade teacher. State Fire Marshal Sterling Lewis, Jr. says the corridor wall that contains the door is a smoke partition and the door must be able to close. He said some doors can be legally propped open and others can't. Teacher Robinson says her door was not labeled a smoke partition and said the windows in her classroom do not open for ventilation, saying she was advised not to adjust the thermostat. The room is too hot when it is filled with students, she said. Lewis said he is responsible for the safety of school children in the state.

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