A Cobb County high school teacher is accused of smacking an underage student on the face and the buttocks in his classroom last month, according to the Cobb County police.
James Chadwick Brigham, a 37-year-old Kell High School social studies teacher from Woodstock, was arrested Thursday and is being charged with one count of felony sexual battery and two counts of misdemeanor battery.
Trudie Donovan, the school's principal at the time of the alleged incidents, also was placed under arrest Thursday for waiting four days to tell police after she heard the allegation. She retired at the end of this school year, according to the school's website.
Both Donovan and Brigham were free on bond Friday.
According to an arrest warrant, on May 14, Brigham smacked a female student under the age of 16 on the face with an open hand in his classroom. On May 17, he slapped the buttocks of the same student with an "open underhand motion," according to the warrant.
Brigham is also accused of caressing the student's arm that month and saying to her, "Don't act like you don't like it."
On May 24, a second student disclosed to school officials that the student was a victim of a battery that occurred earlier that day, also allegedly committed by Brigham. School officials reported the alleged battery to police the same day, Cobb County police Sgt. Dana Pierce said.
Inquiries regarding why police charged Donovan were referred to school officials. A school district spokesman declined to discuss the charges Friday, saying they involve personnel issues.
Brigham turned himself in at the jail at 8:25 p.m. Thursday, booking records show. He was released early Friday on $25,000 bond.
Donovan turned herself in shortly after 7 p.m. Thursday and was released four hours later after posting $1,000 bond, according to jail records.
Donovan had served as principal at Kell for six years, according to a letter posted on the school's website.
Under state law, school officials and other officials are required to notify police, prosecutors or state child protective services within 24 hours of an incident involving suspected child abuse.
Lawmakers recently expanded that law to include anyone who works with children, including volunteers.
"Trudie [Donovan] is a quality individual and would do everything to protect kids," said Jimmy Arispe, a former Cobb County teacher who went to graduate school with Donovan. "The school system needs to do a better job of educating administrators [about the notification timetable] so they don't end up in this kind of situation."
Two educators at Cobb's Tapp Middle School were fired earlier this year when they failed to report suspected child abuse in a timely way.
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