The Richmond County School System has refused to provide information or discuss the recent firing of Lt. Adrienne Burns, who was terminated following a traffic accident on Oct. 11.
While Burns was not at fault in the accident, she failed a mandatory drug test following the crash, according to two independent sources with the RCSS.
Burns was in uniform and driving a RCSS vehicle at the time of the incident, the sources say.
The Richmond County School System police last year was caught in a cheating scandal with regard to certification exams its officers are required to pass, and the school system is already under increased scrutiny following its decision to opt out of the tax freeze related to homestead exemptions. Just over 62% of Richmond County voters favored the tax break, which passed a statewide referendum.
Burns is also the officer placed in charge of the whistleblower in that cheating scandal, which resulted in anon-going investigation by GA POST.
Burns, who moonlighted as a nurse in the local jail, was also terminated there, according to VitalCore Health Strategies, the company that manages jail personnel. The separation notice includes a memo from the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office that states, “Effective immediately, Adrienne Burns no longer has Security Clearance to enter the Charles B. Webster Detention Center.”
Burns has not been charged with any crime. According to two Richmond County sheriff’s deputies, both of whom requested anonymity, any person who tests positive for drugs, regardless of fault, should be charged as a matter of policy.
At least two sources inside the RCSS stated that Burns was terminated because her drug test came back positive; however, that allegation has not been able to be verified independently because the RCSS has refused to provide the documents from the drug test.
Burns was terminated from the RCSS on Nov. 1, 2024 and has allegedly appealed the decision. That appeal is the reason the school system has given for not releasing records relating to Burns’ termination. Board spokespersons have cited an “ongoing investigation.”
