Worried Parents Meet with School Officials As Prosecution Asks for Higher Bond For Accused Hidden-Camera Teacher

NASHVILLE, TN — Worried parents were looking for answers from Metro Schools officials during a meeting Wednesday at Napier Elementary in the wake of the arrest of a former teacher accused of secretly filming girls changing clothes in a closet.

Jarrett Jones, 30, who most recently was an assistant band director at Antioch High School but who taught at Napier between 2011 and 2015, faces a variety of child porn charges after police found more than 50 videos of at least 40 elementary-school girls changing clothes for school musicals, in addition to hundreds of other images of child pornography unrelated to the school.

Parents asked MNPS officials and prosecutors why parents were not with the victims when they were questioned by police, according to The Tennessean.

“It was swift, there were counselors, and we made it as comfortable a process as possible,” assistant district attorney Tammy Meade said, according to the newspaper. “We got the best information we could. And hopefully we can start healing.”

State law does not require parents to be present during witness interviews and all parents of the victims were notified immediately following the questioning.

MNPS officials assured parents that all teachers go through background checks — Jones passed a check and had not faced any disciplinary action during his time with MNPS — and that sex crimes involving Metro teachers are extremely rare.

Meanwhile, prosecutors asked a judge to raise Jones' bond, currently set at $100,000, because of the likelihood he will face scores of charges, each of which carry mandatory sentences of eight to 12 years.

"In light of the fact the defendant manufactured over 50 videos of his students ... the defendant is essentially looking at an effective life sentence upon conviction," Assistant District Attorney Chad Butler wrote in a motion. "In light of the nature and seriousness of the charges, the likelihood of conviction, and the probable sentence to be imposed upon conviction, the state would respectfully request the defendant's bail to be increased to a reasonable amount."

Image via Metro Nashville Police