This browser does not support the Video element.
BUFORD, Ga. - The superintendent of Buford City Schools submitted his resignation Friday, days after an audio of him allegedly making profane and racist remarks became public. Buford School Board attorney Gregory Jay confirmed the resignation of Superintendent Geye Hamby Friday morning.
The resignation comes after the Buford School Board placed Hamby on administrative leave.
Hamby submitted a resignation letter to the board.
His letter states, “Please accept this letter as my resignation as Superintendent of Buford City Schools. My sincere apologies for any actions that may have created adversity for this community and the Buford School District. Thank you for your many years of tremendous support and leadership.”
The audio tape is part of a federal lawsuit filed by a former school district employee who claims the school district retaliated against her because of her race and her decision to exercise her First Amendment rights.
"He works for the temp service, and he doesn't have to do what the (expletive) we tell him to do," Hamby allegedly said in the recording. "(Expletive) that (expletive). I'll kill these (expletive). (Expletive), I'll shoot that (expletive) if they'd let me."
A law enforcement officer was stationed at the Buford Board of Education headquarters Friday afternoon after someone phoned in a recorded threat to the office.
An office spokesperson says the office was never put on lockdown, but they contacted police as a precaution.
The lawsuit seeks damages after it alleges Hamby and Buford Academy Principal Kaleen Pulley discriminated against former paraprofessional Mary Ingram because she spoke up for the black community at public meetings.
According to the lawsuit, Ingram questioned why plans for a new building did not include gold, which was chosen as one of the school's colors back in the 1970s to represent the former black high school.
Instead, the suit alleges, the color scheme only included white and green, the colors from the white high school. The school system fired Ingram in 2017 after she was written up for alleged problems.
After the release of the lawsuit and the audio recordings, the district has put Hamby on administrative leave effective Tuesday. "The Board anticipates further action on this matter at a specially called meeting in the next several days," according to a statement released by the Buford School Board Wednesday. "The District will continue to focus on the mission of empowering our students to reach their full potential."
Attorney Ed Buckley represents Ingram. While the recordings allegedly captured the superintendent talking about workers other than Ingram, Buckley said the audio recordings reveal the superintendent's racial bias.
"Bias towards her, bias towards the community at large that she sought to represent at these public meetings," Buckley explained.
Buckley says someone sent that audio to Ingram anonymously and he would like to track down its source. "If they know who recorded it, or if the individual who recorded it would come forward, we would be happy to talk to them," he said.
FOX 5 contacted the attorneys representing Hamby and the school system after the release of the recordings. They did not respond directly, but in an answer filed earlier this month, attorneys for the school district flatly denied Ingram's claims.
Nevertheless, Buckley said he is confident the lawsuit will be successful for both Ingram and the community at large. "The bigger picture is that the Buford community as a whole needs to take a hard look at its school superintendent, and decide whether they want the school system that exists in the 21st century," he said.
The lawsuit is still in its early stages, Buckley said it will be likely 10 months to a year before it goes to a jury.