Laurie Humphrey, a social studies teacher, drew complaints from parents and students after posting the sign - “The road to hell is paved with Democrats” - in her government class, said Mark Bounds, public information officer for Lexington-Richland 5 school district.

The sign read, “The road to hell is paved with Democrats,” and now it has a Dutch Fork High School teacher in trouble.

Laurie Humphrey, a social studies teacher, drew complaints from parents and students after posting the sign in her government class, said Mark Bounds, public information officer for Lexington-Richland 5 school district.

She since has been removed from the classroom as the district investigates the details and circumstances of the sign, he said.

Humphrey has been a teacher for 15 years with 11 years of experience in Lexington-Richland 5, Bounds said. This is the first disciplinary action against her, he said.

“This was an example of extremely poor judgment on her part,” Bounds said.

Bounds would not say whether Humphrey was on campus Friday or whether she was receiving a paycheck while the district considers other possible disciplinary action against her.

“There will be lots of questions we ask as we deal with this situation,” Bounds said.

Among those questions is whether the sign was posted as part of a lesson on political campaigns, he said.

The district has a standing policy against teachers expressing political opinions in the classroom. In September, the district distributed a memo to the entire faculty to remind them of the policy as the political season heated up, Bounds said.

Reach Phillips at (803) 771-8307.