26-03-2025
Nathanael Greene Academy responds to backlash fueled by arrests of former teachers
The news that two teachers had sexual relations with a student at Nathanael Greene Academy (NGA) attracted so many negative comments and rumors on the school's Facebook page that the school announced this week that it had suspended the page.
The two former teachers at the private Greene County school were both arrested recently and jailed following an investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation
Many of the social media posts were making false claims about current students, according to the statement sent to school parents and released Wednesday by the school's attorney, Daniel S. Woodrum of Athens.
'The persons posting the statements concerning the students are not authorized by NGA to post information about students. There are seemingly countless false allegations, baseless rumors, and tenuous speculations about, which are provably inaccurate,' the statement reads.
Previously: Two former private school teachers in Greene County allegedly had sex with same boy, lawyer says
As a result of the law enforcement investigation, the school announced that media members would not be allowed on campus and that meetings with the Board of Trustees will be scheduled with parents to address their concerns.
The school announced it had completed a preliminary investigation into the alleged actions by Bonnie Elizabeth Brown, 25, of White Plains, and Sherri Delle Mauldin, 60, who had a Buckhead rural route address. Both face felony charges stemming from the alleged sexual contact with a male student who was under the age of 16.
The school opened in 1959 in the incorporated town of Siloam, which the 2020 census shows has a population of about 200 people.
The school reported that one of the suspects had left the school in May 2023 and the other in May 2024. Both have been indefinitely prohibited from returning to NGA property. Brown, an alumni of the school, is reported to have left the school last year and took a job in the Wilkes County school system, but was fired after her arrest.
More: Second former teacher at private school in Greene County arrested in sex case
The report also notes that none of the alleged conduct occurred on the NGA campus or at an NGA sponsored event. A lawyer for the victim said earlier that physical contact between the student and teachers did occur on campus.
However, NGA reports that law enforcement disputes this claim.
The school did receive a 'threat of civil litigation' in February from a lawyer representing a former NGA student, but the school said it had not previously received a complaint from the student or the parents regarding the former employees. The school noted that if such a complaint had been received, school administrators would have acted upon the matter.
The school also noted it had never received any short message services or text messages regarding inappropriate behavior between a student and teacher. Rumors of such messages were made on social media, but interviews with those who may have knowledge of the messages all denied ever seeing such messages, according to the report.
The school noted it has followed all laws requiring the hiring and screening of those seeking teaching jobs. Those rules include that no employee shall be in a room one-on-one with a student with the door closed. The two former teachers had both passed background checks.
The report notes that school trustees are reviewing the case and may confer with a lawyer and law enforcement. The school is cooperating with law enforcement 'to the fullest extent,' according to the report.
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Nathanael Greene suspends Facebook in wake of social media rumors
