Ga. High School Teacher Accused of Sexually Assaulting Student in Out-of-School Tutoring Sessions
A Georgia high school teacher faces sexual assault charges stemming from an alleged relationship she had with a teenage student.
Sarah Katherine Brooks, 25, was a physical education teacher at Archer High School, approximately an hour east of Atlanta. Police allege that Brooks and her 17-year-old alleged victim had sex during off-campus tutoring.
According to an arrest warrant first obtained by the Gwinnett Daily Post, police allege that Brooks, “did, while employed as a teacher, engage in sexual contact with the victim, who said accused knew or should have known was a student enrolled at the same school.”
PEOPLE confirms that Brooks was arrested last Friday and booked into the Gwinnett County Jail. She faces a felony charge of sexual assault by a person with supervisory or disciplinary authority.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Archer High School principal Ken Johnson sent a letter to parents last week, saying that officials had notified authorities of the alleged relationship. During the subsequent investigation, Brooks allegedly resigned from her position.
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“On Monday we received a report about this situation and our school immediately contacted the police and the school district’s Division of Human Resources,” Johnson wrote, according to the AJC. “As this has been and continues to be an active police investigation there are not many details I can share. However, I can tell you that the teacher has resigned from Gwinnett County Public Schools and the school system will be forwarding information about these allegations to the Professional Standards Commission.”
“While this is not a situation we have experienced at our school previously, one time is too many,” the letter continues. “Ethics matter, and the trust our community places in its educators matters to Archer and to Gwinnett County Public Schools. This is not something we take for granted.”
Brooks has not yet entered a plea, and has been released on $11,200 bond. Court records do not list an attorney authorized to speak on her behalf. She did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s message for comment.
