Can I sue for defamation of character.?

I was a teacher. A girl made an allegation against me and they put me on administrative leave. They then told me that I would not have a contract next year and they were going to put things(the allegation) on my open records for anyone to see if I did not resign. I told them that I didn't want to resign because I didn't want to be considered guilty. They told me that if I resigned (which would be effective in June) and put personal reasons, that they would tell people that it was for personal reasons and would not mention the allegations. The girl went to the news, the district made a statement, included my name, and said that I resigned after the allegations were brought against me. I contacted them told them that they told me that they would not do that, and they told me that the spokesperson said that she was not aware of the situation and had to say something, so she said that. Since these allegations are false, is that defamation of character (the girl, the district, or the news)

First, anyone can sue anyone else at any time. The question is will you benefit from filing suit.
I think you will, but it might cost you. Defending against an allegation is always difficult especially when there are no witnesses. So the school choose to sacrifice you to show the public it was on their side. They may be willing to lie in court about offering you to keep your reason for resigning quiet so you may not win the suit, but it is likely the only way to get your version of the truth for everyone to hear. Including the girl in the suit will similarly allow you to counteract her version and may create enough pressure on her and cost on her parents to allow the truth to come out. You will need to contact a lawyer and maybe the teachers union as the school may have violated your contract when they blackmailed you into resigning.

I would definatley hire a lawyer. This girl has cost you not just a job but a career. People hardly ever remember wether or not you were convicted, but they always remember what you were accused of.

if you are able to prove your innocence, yes you can sue because they said something that wasn't true that damaged your character.

I don't know you, so how do I know that the alligation isn't true and that your'e not just trying to cover your butt?

sure why not. most people sue for whatever nowadays so might as well

Did you commit a crime that they (the school district) allege? If so you are in trouble. If not continue reading. I any event consult with a Lawyer from the teachers union.
In Law, defamation (also called vilification,slander,and libel) is the communication of a statement that makes a false claim, expressively stated or implied to be factual, that may harm the reputation of the individual(you). Slander refers to spoken comments, while libel refers to any form of communication except the spoken word. Unlike Libel or slander, truth is not a defense for invasion of privacy.
False Light Laws are "intended primarily intended to protect the plaintiff (you from the school district) mental or emotional well being. If a publication of information is false, then a tort of defamation might have occurred, if that defamation is not technically false but is still misleading then a tort of false light might have occurred. If all above is true get a lawyer ASAP

You will definitely need to contact an attorney. The law will vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

In general, it sounds like you have a prima facie case against the girl, the school district, and the school district's spokesperson. You will most likely not have a cause of action against the newspaper that reported it.

The problem is can you prove it? That's always the tough part. Also, bear in mind that if you lose, many people will see this as proof that the girl was telling the truth (when in fact it may be because of a procedural defect, inability to gather evidence, etc.).

You may also have a breach of contract suit against the school, since you agreed to resign in exchange for non-disclosure on their part.