UPDATE: Former Cass High School Teacher Charged With Sexual Assault

Photo: Chad Wade Clift, 41, of Lindale. Credit: Bartow County Jail

A former Cass High School teacher accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a student has been charged with sexual assault.

The Bartow County Sheriff’s Office arrested Chad Wade Clift, 41, of Lindale and charged the former teacher with one count of sexual assault.

The sheriff’s office was made aware of the incident on Monday, Jan. 26 when Bartow Schools Campus Police Chief Dan Knowles “reported an incident of an inappropriate relationship” between Clift and a 17-year-old student, said sheriff’s office Investigator Jonathan White.

White said the investigation determined “the inappropriate relationship occurred off campus.”

Once it was made aware of the incident on Monday, the school system “addressed the issue” and Clift resigned from his position the same day, said Bartow Schools spokesperson Cheree Dye.

“The school system then turned over all information to the proper authorities to include the Bartow County Sheriff’s Department and Georgia Professional Standards Commission,” she added. “The school system is cooperating fully with all authorities in this matter.”

Clift was booked into the Bartow County Jail Wednesday afternoon, and has since been released on a $25,000 special condition bond, White added. Clift is barred from having contact with the student or the student’s family, the sheriff’s office investigator said.

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