Georgia Prof'l Standards Comm'n v. James

The former school principal had sufficient notice of the matters presented at the administrative hearing to revoke his teaching certificate, namely his inappropriate physical contact with and comments to a paraprofessional working at his school.

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This appeal arises from the decision of the State of Georgia Professional Standards Commission “PSC” to revoke the teaching certificate of former school principal Joey Dewayne James. After an administrative law judge “ALJ” affirmed the PSC’s decision, James filed a petition for judicial review in the Superior Court of Dougherty County. The superior court reversed, finding that the PSC violated James’s due process rights because the PSC based its decision to revoke James’s teaching certificate on grounds other than and different from those contained in the hearing notice that the PSC served on James. This Court granted the PSC’s application for discretionary review. On appeal, the PSC contends that, in reversing the ALJ’s decision, the superior court ignored the any evidence standard required by the Administrative Procedure Act, OCGA § 50-13-1 et seq. For the reasons that follow, we agree and reverse.

Judicial review of an administrative decision requires the court to determine that the findings of fact are supported by any evidence and to examine the soundness of the conclusions of law that are based upon the findings of fact. When this Court reviews a superior court’s order in an administrative proceeding, our duty is not to review whether the record supports the superior court’s decision but whether the record supports the final decision of the administrative agency.

Georgia Prof'l Standards Comm'n v. James

The former school principal had sufficient notice of the matters presented at the administrative hearing to revoke his teaching certificate, namely his inappropriate physical contact with and comments to a paraprofessional working at his school.

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