Ex-teacher accused of sexual relationship with student
A former Catoosa County high school teacher was arrested last week following an investigation that alleges she had a sexual relationship with a student late last year.
According to the Fort Oglethorpe Police Department:
Ashley M. Pritchett of 269 Big Creek Lane in Ringgold was arrested Friday, Feb. 1, on a charge of sexual assault by persons with supervisory or disciplinary authority.
Pritchett has already been released from Catoosa County jail on bond, records show.
Approximately two weeks ago, the Fort Oglethorpe Police Department received information indicating an inappropriate relationship may have occurred late last year between Pritchett, a one-time math teacher and cheerleading coach at Lakeview-fort Oglethorpe
High School, and a student.
Prior to the police department’s investigation, both Catoosa County Public Schools and the Division of Family and Children Services looked into the matter.
An open records request of Pritchett’s personnel file revealed that she taught at LFO for three semesters, from August 2017 to December 2018.
The LFO administration and school system were both made aware of the allegations of inappropriate contact on Nov. 8, 2018.
That same day, DFACS was also notified of the situation. After a short investigation, DFACS officials determined there was not sufficient evidence to continue the investigation.
On Nov. 12, four days after the allegations surfaced, CCPS’S human resources director sent a letter to Pritchett stating the claims against her were “considered unsubstantiated based on the information that was available,” but also laid out the conduct and expectations that accompany being an educator.
A little more than a month later, on Dec. 18, Pritchett had a meeting with LFO Principal Chance Nix further discussing the issues.
The next day, Dec. 19, Nix sent Pritchett a letter following up on their meeting, which again highlighted a laundry list of things she was to avoid such as texting students, riding alone with them in her personal vehicle, allowing individual students behind her desk, being alone in her classroom with a student, having students in her classroom during lunch, and having students from other classes enter her room without a pass.