Authorities believe a former Communities in Schools program coordinator siphoned more than $11,000 from the nonprofit dropout prevention program.
Glynn County Schools Police arrested Tara Williford, 42, on Monday and charged her with theft by conversion, according to The Brunswick News. Williford is accused of embezzling more than $11,000 from the Communities in Schools of Glynn County, one of the several local programs that offer educational support for at-risk students at public and charter schools in 25 states.
In January, Communities in Schools officials contacted school police after observing irregularities in the organization’s books, Glynn County Schools Police Chief Rod Ellis told the newspaper. After a school police investigation, Williford was fired from her coordinator position. Ellis said Williford was tasked with buying items for the Communities in Schools with a credit card.
“There was over $11,000 unaccounted for,” Ellis said. “We believe those funds were embezzled.”
Williford was booked into the Glynn County Detention Center. She was released later Monday on $28,100 bond.
Williford most recently served as the Communities in Schools site coordinator for the Glynn Learning Center. She has been a site coordinator for Communities in Schools since at least the 2014 school year, according to the newspaper’s archives.
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