A former teacher at a prestigious charter middle school in Clayton County is in jail for alleged sexual assault of a student at the school.
Clayton County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Derek Christopher Gray Thursday evening. He is charged with child molestation, aggravated sodomy, sexual assault, battery, statutory rape and enticing a child. His bond is $100,000. The incident occurred in March and was reported to the Clayton County police. Gray was suspended from his job and resigned in May, according to district officials. Bio information listed online noted Gray taught 7th grade as well as 8th grade math at one point.
Clayton school officials declined to discuss the case but said in a prepared statement Friday: “Allegations of inappropriate conduct were filed against Mr. Derek Gray in March. An investigation was immediately conducted by the school district. In keeping with the district’s standard procedure, Mr. Gray was removed from the classroom and all appropriate agencies were notified.”
Elite Scholars, which opened four years ago, is considered a showcase among the Clayton school district’s 66 schools and is one of two charter schools in the county. About 500 students between sixth and 12th grade attended the school during the last school year. The school, which is in Morrow, has a waiting list of about 100 to 200 students each year. Students are chosen through a lottery system and attend school year-round.
Just this week, the school was recognized for its excellence in academics. It was named a 2012 Georgia School of Excellence. It was the highest-performing school in the 13th Congressional District., whcih includes, Cobb, Clayton, DeKalb, Douglas, Fulton and Henry, establishing the school as one of the top 14 performing schools in Georgia based on the College and Career-Ready Performance Index.
The school is expected to graduate its first senior class during the 2013-14 school year.
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