Gym teacher pleads guilty to taking $1 bribes from students

Gym teacher pleads guilty to taking $1 bribes from students

PENSACOLA, Fla. - A former gym teacher pleaded guilty to taking $1-a-day bribes from middle school students who didn't want to change their clothes for class.

Under his plea deal, Terence Braxton, 28, was sentenced Wednesday to three years probation for felony bribery, ordered to pay back the students at Ernest Ward Middle School, and ordered to perform 300 hours of community service.

His Florida teaching certificate was permanently revoked, though Circuit Judge Michael Allen's ruling means Braxton could teach in another state.

"I'm ready to get on with my probation and get back to teaching," said Braxton, of Atmore, Ala. "It was a mistake, my first job. I regret doing it."

Assistant State Attorney John Simon said the majority of the children's families were contacted, and all are satisfied with the terms of the plea agreement.

A second former gym teacher at the school, Tamara B. Tootle, 39, still faces similar charges. At a court hearing last month, Tootle said she was unfairly dragged into the investigation after officers began looking into the allegations against Braxton. "I know how kids can talk, but I did not do this," she said.