A Cobb County middle school principal and counselor were arrested for allegedly failing to report a student's abuse claims to police.

Jerry Wright Dority, who was principal at Tapp Middle School in Powder Springs, and a counselor, Yatta Lynnette Collins, were both arrested Thursday morning and booked into the Cobb County jail, booking records show. The two have been placed on administrative leave, a school district spokesman said.

Dority, 50, and Collins, 40, are each charged with one count of failure to report child abuse, according to jail records. Both bonded out of jail later Thursday after posting $1,000 bond.

The two allegedly knew Jan. 30 that a child, who had recently attempted suicide, was a victim of possible child molestation, according to arrest warrants. But the two did not report the suspected abuse until two days later, on Feb. 1, police said.

State law requires that school employees report any suspected abuse within 24 hours.

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Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens (right) tours the Vine City neighborhood with his senior advisor Courtney English (left). (Matt Reynolds/AJC 2024)

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