Former ACE Academy teacher says he was wrongly fired over ‘unsubstantiated claims,’ sues
A former teacher and coach at the Academy for Classical Education claims he was wrongfully fired over “unsubstantiated claims,” according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday.
Franklin Wade Bennett claimed in the lawsuit he filed alongside his wife, Leigh Bennett, that ACE intentionally damaged his reputation after not affording him due process and firing him after an alleged false statement was made against him. The teacher was accused of being seen in a closed stall in the bathroom of the Brickyard Golf Club with an ACE student during a golf tournament on June 24 — which he argues is false, according to the lawsuit.
He was fired as a result of the allegation, according to his lawsuit, and he says that damaged his and his wife’s reputation and subjected him to public humiliation.
They are requesting a jury trial and $750,000 in damages from ACE. Franklin Bennett also seeks “to have (his) firing ... voided and instead reflect that he resigned from his position,” according to the lawsuit. He is not seeking to work at ACE again.
“As parents, the Bennetts understand the feelings, sentiment and role of parents to students in an educational setting and are comfortable with this adjustment,” their attorney, Floyd Buford Jr., said in the lawsuit. “(They) do not seek reinstatement at a school and community in which Mr. Bennett was valued and invested.”
A lawsuit represents one side of a legal argument. Representatives of ACE have not responded to requests for comment before this article’s publication. They also have not filed a legal reply.
Lawyer says report on incident was flawed
ACE conducted a report on Oct. 21, 2024, on Franklin Bennett’s alleged behavior, but Buford argues that the report was flawed. It didn’t reflect the situation or follow the procedural standards that educational institutions in Georgia must adhere to, the lawsuit said.
Buford further claimed that the report didn’t include the students and parents who were present at the golf course, who offered to vouch for Franklin Bennett’s whereabouts during the event, according to the lawsuit. It also didn’t include a student witness, who was allegedly playing video games in the adjacent bathroom, who “could have been in and out of that door and mistakenly believed to have exited the restroom stall,” according to Buford.
The lawsuit alleges the report was completed by a special counsel hired by ACE, who was “designed and intended to provide ACE with legal cover for their unlawful actions,” Buford said. It was also meant to damage Franklin Bennett’s reputation, according to the lawsuit.
Leigh Bennett, a dentist in Macon, has also suffered from the humiliation of Franklin Bennett’s firing, the lawsuit said.
“The Plaintiffs have suffered irreparable and terrible harm as a result of these actions by (ACE),” Buford said in the lawsuit.
This story was originally published October 2, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
