Former Cedartown elementary teacher charged with improper sexual contact
A former Cedartown elementary school music teacher was arrested and charged with improper sexual contact, according Polk County Jail records.
According to records, Sante Alana Duncan, 27, turned herself in to authorities Tuesday afternoon at the Polk County Jail. She is charged with sexual assault by a person who has supervisory or disciplinary authority over another individual.
The warrant was issued Tuesday by the Polk School District Police. Chief Michael Mcgee stated that the district had received information of alleged improper sexual contact by Duncan, who recently served as the music teacher at Cherokee Elementary School in Cedartown.
Mcgee said the victim of the crime is a Polk School District student but not one at Cherokee Elementary.
An incident report, obtained through an Open Records Act request, showed the complainant as Duncan’s husband, who is also a music teacher in Polk School District.
As an editorial policy, the Rome News-tribune does not identify victims of sexual crimes.
Duncan resigned earlier this month, immediately after being confronted with the allegations. She was released Wednesday afternoon on $5,000 bond.
Polk School District issued a statement Wednesday morning letting parents know that it was aware of the arrest and investigation, and that Duncan was no longer a district employee.
“When the PSD received information regarding Mrs. Duncan’s alleged conduct in early January, we immediately commenced an internal investigation,” the statement read. “The matter has been turned over to the PSD Police Department and the Tallapoosa Circuit District Attorney’s office, and they will have the PSD’S full cooperation going forward.
“Because it is still a pending investigation, we are unable to comment further. However, we do want to assure parents that the charges did not involve a student at Cherokee Elementary, and that at no time was any student at Cherokee at risk of harm from Mrs. Duncan.”