LITHONIA, Ga. — A Lithonia High School special education employee was fired on Thursday after after an arrest earlier this week and three "sexual contact" charges.
The paraprofessional had initially been placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation. In a letter to parents earlier in the week, Principal Darrick McCray said there had been "an allegation of misconduct involving a Lithonia High School staff member."
The school did not confirm the allegation was made by a student. Under Georgia law, however, the charge of "sexual contact by employee or agent in the first degree" in the context of schools typically means the employee or agent should have known the victim is "enrolled as a student" at the school where the accused works.
The district said in a statement that the employee had been in his second year at the school.
"District personnel continues to fully cooperate with law enforcement in the ongoing, collaborative investigation by the DCSD Department of Public Safety and the DeKalb County Police Department," the district said Thursday, before the employee's termination.
In the letter to parents sent Tuesday, Principal McCray said "there are no more significant concerns than our students' health, safety and well-being."
"We remain committed to being as transparent as possible to families and staff as we partner to address these situations appropriately; however, we cannot provide additional comments at this time because this is a personnel issue," the letter said.
According to DeKalb County Jail records, the alleged offense occurred on March 18, and the arrest happened on March 28. The employee was then given an "unsecured judicial release."
