Oregon school worker fired for hunting deer to ‘blow off steam’ during break from work
Paul Simmons has filed a lawsuit accusing Clatskanie School District of unfair dismissal
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A school supervisor was fired after he killed a deer to “blow off steam” during a short break from work.
Paul Simmons, 55, left work at Clatskanie School District on November 3 2023 to go hunting with his son along Swedetown Road in Columbia County, Ohio, according to a new lawsuit.
While Simmons claims he was simply taking a short break and that it was normal practice to deal with “personal matters” without asking for time off, his employer claims he skipped out on work without permission.
It is unclear exactly how long Simmons was gone but the break ultimately ended in him being convicted of criminal charges, fired from his job, and the matter now being at the center of a lawsuit filed by Simmons against the school district.
According to the new lawsuit, seen by Oregon Live, Simmons, who had worked for the school district for 29 years, left work, picked up his rifle and joined his son hunting.
During the hunt, he killed a deer and loaded its carcass onto his work truck, before driving home and documenting the kill on a state hunting database.
But, following the shooting, Simmons was hit with criminal charges of committing an act of trespassing, unlawful hunting, and official misconduct, according to Oregon State Police. Police also seized the deer carcass and Simmons’s rifle.
After he was charged, Simmons was also fired from the school district. His superintendent cited the criminal charges and that he had left work without permission as reasons for his dismissal.
One year on, in November 2024, Simmons filed a lawsuit in Columbia County Circuit Court accusing Clatskanie School District of unfair dismissal.
In the suit, Simmons claims he was on a break when he went hunting and so it was personal time.
He claims he had needed to “blow off steam” because of a heavy workload and the news that his father had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer, reported The Chronicle. He also claims it was not uncommon for school district staff to attend to personal matters without requesting time off.
The 55-year-old is now seeking $677,000 in backpay, future wages, and emotional distress.
Simmons accepted a plea deal over the criminal charges.
Under the terms of the deal, he was sentenced earlier this month to 1-and-a-half years of probation, ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution, and had his hunting license suspended for three years.
Simmons is now reportedly working at a local car dealership.
The Independent has contacted Clatskanie School District Superintendent Danielle Hudson and Columbia County Circuit court for comment.