A teacher at North Cobb Christian School was arrested Tuesday after an investigation uncovered an alleged sexual relationship with a former student, officials said.
Craig Godfrey, 38, of Cartersville, worked as the band director until Monday, when he was placed on administrative leave while the school investigates claims of sexual misconduct, Head of School Todd Clingman said in an email sent to parents. His arrest was confirmed to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday afternoon by Acworth police.
Godfrey is accused of beginning an “inappropriate relationship” with a sophomore student in 2016, one year after he began work at the private school, according to Acworth police Cpl. Stanley Almon. The alleged relationship with the student, who is now an adult, ended in 2019, Almon said.
“In addition to physical contact, evidence uncovered communication and explicit photos were exchanged between the suspect and the victim using a social media app,” he said in a news release. According to the arrest warrant obtained by the AJC, Godfrey requested and received nude photos of the girl on Snapchat despite knowing that she was under the age of 18.
The warrant also accuses Godfrey of engaging in sexual activity with the student while on school grounds from February 2016 to May 2019.
The band director faces felony charges of aggravated child molestation and sexual exploitation of a child, as well as a misdemeanor charge of obscene telephone contact.
Clingman said the school began working with the police department during the holiday weekend when information regarding the relationship came to light.
“North Cobb Christian School has zero tolerance for misconduct and took immediate action by contacting and working closely with the Acworth Police Department,” said Clingman, who added that Godfrey is banned from campus and has been denied access to school technology and web portals.
Clingman, who called the news “heartbreaking,” said the school will provide resources to support students and their families following the arrest.
“Words fail to express how saddened we are to share this heavy news,” he said.
Godfrey is a graduate of Valdosta State University and formerly worked at Rockmart High School.
North Cobb Christian is “doing everything that we can to understand how this happened while supporting our current and former students,” Clingman said.
Godfrey is being held Wednesday in the Cobb County jail without bond.
— Please return to AJC.com for updates.
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