District Recommending Termination for Tapp Principal, Counselor

Principal Jerry Wright Dority and school counselor Yatta Lynnette Collins are on paid administrative leave with a recommendation for termination, school district spokesman Doug Goodwin said.

The recommendation follows the two being arrested Thursday for .

“On 1/30/12, the accused had knowledge of an incident of suspected child molestation involving a child that had recently attempted suicide, and did not make report to either law enforcement or the Department of Family and Children’s Services until 2/1/12,” the warrant said, according to the Marietta Daily Journal.

State law says that a person overseeing children, like at a school, must report a case of suspected abuse immediately, but in no case later than 24 hours from the time “there is reasonable cause to believe a child has been abused.” Failure to do so results in a misdemeanor charge, according to state law.

Dority, 50, and Collins, 40, will still have the right to a hearing with the Board of Education, Goodwin said.

Because it’s an ongoing personnel matter, Goodwin said he couldn’t comment on what will happen if no wrongdoing is found or if there’s a possibility the two will return to their posts.

Jeanne Walker, who comes from Sprayberry High as a curriculum assistant principal, has been serving as acting principal at Tapp.

The arrests came a day after . Goodwin said he wasn’t able to comment on what the message said, whether the student who wrote it has been found and what the likely discipline will be, as the district can’t speak on specific disciplinary actions against students.  

“The student codes of conduct are provided to all students and families at the beginning of the school year, with clear expectations for conduct and consequences for violations,” he said.

"The staff at Tapp will continue to be vigilant regarding any behavior that disrupts the learning environment."