ROCKDALE COUNTY, Ga. — A former Rockdale County “Teacher of the Year” has been charged with physically assaulting a 13-year-old student.
Rockdale County jail records show Melvin McClain faces charges of cruelty to children in the first degree, cruelty to children in third degree and simple battery.
According to the student’s attorneys, on Dec. 1, Malachi Sherman was hit 20 times in the stomach and head by McClain, a teacher at Conyers Middle School.
The boy’s mother claims that she was never notified by the school district about what happened.
“She only learned of the assault after her son sent her a text message describing the attack,” the boy’s attorneys said in a news release.
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Cameras in the school caught the incident on video, the attorneys said.
“Malachi is our fourth client in the last two years to face violence at the hands of a Rockdale County teacher. Rockdale County Schools’ failures represent serious legal violations and an alarming disregard for student safety. We will pursue full legal accountability for this assault and the district’s breach of its mandatory duties,” said Attorney Kianna Chennault, Esq.
Channel 2 Action News received a statement from the school, saying:
“Rockdale County Public Schools takes all allegations of misconduct seriously and will not tolerate any behavior that harms children. We hold all employees to the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and ethical conduct. These expectations are central to maintaining a safe, respectful, and productive learning environment. When employees do not meet our standards, we take swift, appropriate action, and remove them from the classroom.
“In this instance, we first learned about the incident via email from the parent later that evening. We responded to the parent via a phone call and an email within 30 minutes of her correspondence. We immediately began investigating the allegation, and the teacher never returned to the classroom. We notified law enforcement, the Department of Family and Children Services and the Professional Standards Commission. We remain committed to upholding our standards and taking decisive action whenever those standards are not met.”
According to the boy’s attorneys, McClain was terminated, arrested, and has been released on bond.
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