DeKalb County School District officials closed an investigation where a Lakeside High School student was allegedly choked by a JROTC instructor.

William Bedor said his son accused the JROTC instructor of grabbing him at the neck during a field trip in Charleston on Oct. 28. Bedor said the instructor, not named as he was never charged with a crime, said by phone that he grabbed the teen by the throat after several students forced their way into the instructor’s hotel room.

School district officials said they investigated the matter, closing the case in early December with no punishment against the instructor.

Bedor said school district officials never informed him of their decision, finding out instead after paying the district $32 for an incident report.

“It would appear the district is the fox guarding the hen house,” Bedor said.

The instructor was never removed from the classroom during the investigation, school officials said.

At Bedor’s request, his son is not being named. Bedor said his son seemingly has become the target of school administrators.

“These educators,” he said, “are acting as judge, jury and executioner and distributors of punishment as they see fit whenever it works for their empowerment … at the expense of justice.”

MYAJC.COM: REAL JOURNALISM. REAL LOCAL IMPACT.

The AJC's Marlon A. Walker keeps you updated on the latest happenings in metro Atlanta K-12 news and DeKalb County Schools. You'll find more on myAJC.com, including these stories:

Never miss a minute of what's happening in state and local education. Subscribe to myAJC.com.

In other Education news:

This year, Georgia changed its AP exam funding to only STEM subjects. Now, students want state leaders to expand their funding for better education opportunities.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Sarv Dharavane, 11, of Tucker, Ga., reacts after spelling his word correctly in the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Thursday, May 29, 2025, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Credit: AP

Featured

Savannah Chrisley, daughter of former reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, speaks outside the Federal Prison Camp on May 28, 2025, in Pensacola, Fla. President Donald Trump pardoned Todd and Julie Chrisley, who were found guilty of defrauding banks out of $36 million and hiding millions in earnings to avoid paying taxes. (Dan Anderson/AP)

Credit: Dan Anderson/AP