Rockdale parents call for change amid complaints of teachers assaulting kids

“(B)ut seeing it with my own eyes, it’s totally different,” she said.

She credits the school for acting swiftly once she complained. McClain, the school’s 2020-21 Teacher of the Year, was arrested and is no longer with the district. Still, there are calls by parents and others for the Rockdale County school district to address what they say have been several incidents where teachers have physically harmed students.

Offett’s attorney Kianna Chennault, of Chennault Legal & Consulting Group, said this is the fourth such case her firm has had in Rockdale County schools in the last two years. Three out of the four students assaulted by educators have special needs, she said. Chennault said two of the students are nonverbal.

“So even though (there’s) a camera in the room, I believe those teachers felt like, ‘Hey, they’re not going to be able to tell their moms what happened.’ So they just thought that they would get away with it.”

The school district did not respond to any specific claim, but issued a response to the concerns. In a lengthy statement to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Rockdale County Public Schools said it provides “robust training” for staff, including de-escalation of potentially aggressive behavior, classroom management and the state’s code of ethics for educators.

“We made a significant investment in classroom safety by installing the EPIC Crisis Alert System, which includes cameras and emergency alerts in all classrooms,” the statement said in part. “We swiftly investigate all allegations of misconduct and work closely with our law enforcement partners, the Department of Family and Children Services, and the Georgia Professional (Standards) Commission as appropriate.”

The district said it notified the PSC, the state agency that certifies teachers. However, according to the commission’s website, McClain’s certificate is still valid despite the Dec. 1 incident and two prior ethics infractions.

Attempts to reach McClain were not successful.

Chennault says one of the cases involving a nonverbal student has dragged on since 2023.

“Rockdale County has focused on settlements and silence,” she said. “So, we don’t want more of the same. We really want them to not just offer money, but to address some of these systematic patterns that we’ve noticed, put the policies and procedures in place that we have suggested.”

Those procedures include better screening for hiring and retaining staff, mental health check-ins for teachers and auditing or reviewing classroom videos in real time.

Offett said McClain was angry that her son had broken up with his girlfriend. McClain dismissed the class except for Offett’s son and the girl before the assault, Offett said. Even though the classroom camera recorded the incident, she said the school didn’t notify her.

“What I can’t stop thinking about is (McClain is) a 6-foot-2, 270-pound man,” she said. “He could have killed my son, and I wouldn’t have known until he didn’t come home from school that day, because no one watches the camera footage, and (the school) didn’t know.”

Offett said she isn’t sure whether she’ll take legal action against the district. She says for the time being, her son still wants to go to school.

“I’m still trying to weigh my options, because I’ve noticed changes with him, and I’m still looking into therapy sessions for him … but right now, I’m allowing him to do what makes him comfortable.”

The final part of the district’s statement reads as follows:

“Rockdale County Public Schools takes all allegations of misconduct seriously and will not tolerate any behavior that harms children.

“When employees do not meet our standards, we take swift, appropriate action, and remove them from the classroom. We remain committed to upholding our standards and taking decisive action whenever those standards are not met.”