A 24-year-old Clarke County middle school teacher was arrested after allegedly having a sexual relationship with a student, police said Saturday.
Quinnesha Sha’Tara Turner of Winterville was taken into custody following an investigation that began Friday, said Geoffrey Gilland, spokesman for Athens-Clarke County police.
Hilsman Middle School’s website has Turner listed as a seventh-grade special education science teacher.
Police did not release the age of the student with whom she’s accused of having a sexual relationship.
In a written statement, the Clarke County School District said the alleged activity with the student took place off campus, and that Turner was placed on administrative leave after school officials were notified of the police investigation.
“While we cannot share any further details due to our need to protect the student and the nature of the investigation, we are extremely troubled by the allegations that have been made,” the district’s statement reads. “As a school district, we must hold ourselves to the highest standards when it comes to protecting the safety and well-being of our students ... We will continue to emphasize our stringent professional expectations to help ensure an incident like this does not happen in the future. We cannot accept anything less.”
Turner is the second Clarke County teacher accused of having an inappropriate sexual relationship with a student in less than two weeks.
Kara Elizabeth Coalson, a 23-year-old math teacher at Clarke Central High, was arrested April 30 and charged with sexual assault by a person with supervisory or disciplinary authority.
The school district said it notified officials at the Georgia Professional Standards Commission of the investigation.
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Additional victims of similar sexual assaults are encouraged to contact The Cottage Sexual Assualt Center at 770-353-1912, Athens police said.
Turner is in police custody, but she has not yet been booked into the Clarke County jail, Gilland said.
She is charged with one count each of sexual assault by a person with supervisory authority, aggravated child molestation and enticing a child for indecent purposes.
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