Partly sunny during the morning. Cloudy during the afternoon. A chance of light showers after 2 PM. Highs 70 to 74. Light and variable winds…becoming west 5 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40 percent.
Ray Schepansky, pictured here during a Plymouth-Canton Community Schools board of education meeting earlier this year, often wore a Special Forces lanyard; on his desk at Plymouth High School, a nameplate referred to him as having the U.S. Army rank of major.
Raymond Schepansky, the popularPlymouth High School military history teacher, has been fired.
&13;ThePlymouth-Canton Community Schools board made the 5-0 decision in a closed meeting last week, district officials confirmed. Two board members were absent. The specific reason for the firing is not clear.
&13;Plymouth-Canton Schools spokesman Frank Ruggirello Jr. said the district would have no further comment.
&13;What is clear: Schepansky, 53, earlier pleaded not guilty toone count of carrying a concealed gun without a permit. He was arrested on the long driveway leading to Plymouth High School on April 14 and police recovered a handgun from his car, along with bullets.
&13;Its also clear, from school district documents obtained by Canton Patch, that Schepansky lied about his military history when he applied for his job almost 12 years ago.
&13;On his application to teach at Plymouth-Canton Schools, he claimed to be a U.S. Army Reserve captain, a Special Forces member and a Ranger. But the highest rank he achieved, according to U.S. Army officials, is sergeant first class. He was never a reservist or in the Special Forces, according to U.S. Army officials. Schepansky has held a Michigan teaching certificate since 1996,Nike mercurial vapor superfly according to state records. He was approved for tenure on June 8, 2004.
&13;Inconsistencies of his military career are apparent among documents in Schepanskys job application on file at the school district.One document, which puzzled Army officials, states Schepansky was promoted to U.S. Army Reserve captain six years after he left the military.
&13;Schepansky left the Army after 17 years and one day of service as a Sergeant First Class. Did not retire, wrote Ray Gall, a U.S. Army spokesman based at Fort Knox, KY Nike Air force, in an email to Canton Patch. More to the point, Suspicions of this guy not being a Major or a Special Forces officer are correct, he wrote.
&13;Contradictions in Schepanskys teaching application, released after a Freedom of Information Act request, include:
&13;
His resume, submitted at the same time, which states he had served in the U.S. Army as a Senior Sergeant and Ranger instructor.
The districts job application form, on which he answered no to the question of whether he was a Reservist, but added a note saying Please see Special Order.
Claims in his employment history that hed retired from the U.S. Army with supervisory and instructional experience.
TheU.S. Army ranks include enlisted soldiers (from private first class to sergeant major), warrant officers and officers (from second lieutenant to general). There is no such rank as senior sergeant.
&13;Schepansky has not responded to requests for an interview; his attorney, Rick Convertino Nike soccer shoes, has not returned multiple calls and previously has refused requests for a ce-to-ce interview with Schepansky regarding his military history details.
&13;Why would his military record be germane to his case air max shoes, as to whether or not he had a gun in his car at the time he was stopped by police? Convertino said on June 14, when leaving a court appearance for Schepansky.
&13;Convertino did confirm at that time that Schepansky was in the U.S. Army, but not a commissioned officer.
&13;Arrest brings military records scrutiny
&13;But Convertino declined a request for his clients signature in order to independently verify Schepanskys military records through theNational Archives and Records Administration, which holds such documents. He said however that the military records posted byblogger Jonn Lilyea were not accurate. U.S. Army officials confirmed that Lilyeas documents came from the National Archives.
&13;Federal rules
&13;It isa federal offense to lsely claim to be a military officer and use that to benefit financially or in other ways. Those convicted of such a crime could ce up to three years in prison or be fined, the law states, although U.S. Justice Department guidelines allow for less punishment, such as probation.
&13;Schepanskys military record would be investigated only if school or police officials made such a request, according to an FBI spokeswoman, who said such requests are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
&13;John Anthony, a Canton resident who served as a sergeant in the U.S. Marines and is currently a township trustee, retired from the FBI after 25 years as a special agent. He said he recalled receiving only one such request throughout his career.
&13;Canton police did not have access to Schepasnkys military records at the time of his arrest, according to a department spokesman, who said the records would not likely be investigated without a request from school officials.
&13;Plymouth-Canton administrators have declined to comment publicly about Schepansky since his arrest.
&13;A good teacher
&13;No school officials or students interviewed by Canton Patch since Schepanskys arrest have suggested he was a bad teacher.
&13;More than 1,300 people are followinga Facebook page supporting the teacher, titled Free Schepansky,Nike soccer cleats which is used to sell T-shirts and other items to raise money for legal fees and share news of the court case.
&13;Lilyea said parents and students should know that the man they think is a U.S. Army major or Special Forces hero lied about his record.
&13;But for some Schepansky ns, the news makes no difference.
&13;Thats weird, said former student Matt Davison in a phone interview. Davison is a 2009 Plymouth-Canton Education Park graduate who took Schepanskys military history class as a sophomore. He echoed an opinion that seems to be shared by many on the Free Schepansky Facebook page, said it doesnt change the way I look at him at all He was a great guy. I was honoredregardless of all the crap going on nowI was honored to have him as a teacher.
&13;Such attitudes disappoint Lilyea.
&13;The guy had a perfectly honorable career, Lilyea said. But just by reading through the (Facebook) comments you get the sense his students think hes something more than he is. What he really is is enough to be proud of, and if he is an outstanding teacher theres absolutely no reason to embellish his career. He has life experience that would enrich his students experiences.
&13;Next step
&13;Schepansky is scheduled for an appearance in Third Circuit Court on Sept. 28 for the single gun charge, a 5-year felony; the Wayne County Prosecutors office has asked the court to reinstate gun-related charges from the same April 14 incident, dropped at anearlier court date.
Related Topics:Plymouth-Canton Community Schools,Third Circuit Court,U.S. Army,military history,plymouth high school, andray schepansky
Is it his teaching background that is being questioned-no? Is it his use of bad judgment of bringing a gun into school-yes. Or this action really a result of an infective HR system and the boards embarrassment that it has a flawed system to verify the background of its personnel?
Log in to reply
Ron, the district does criminal background checks on all employees, school officials told me but there are no resources to do the military background checks.
Log in to reply
This appears to be a major screw-up by the HR department at PCEP!! If they had done some reference checks this probably wouldnt have happened.
Log in to reply
Advertise on Patch and reach potential customers in your backyard and beyond. Click here for more information.
Learn more »
If yResumes Cover Lettersou want to help local causes, or your cause needs local help, your next click should be right here.
Learn more »
Enter your tip here and it will be sent straight to Mike Turner, Peg McNichol, and Amanda Jean Clothier,Canton Patchs (incredibly grateful)editors.