"At the beginning of each school year I used to have so many worries," Stephanie says. "Did I get all of the supplies? What if they fall in with the wrong crowd? Will this be the year they start smoking, vaping, drinking, or experimenting with drugs? Will they pass their classes? Will they skip school?"

Every child has their own interests and personality. All indicators were that Stephanie's oldest son seemed to be on the right track. Nathan enjoyed going to church, he had a knack for photography and was a gifted athlete with hopes of being recruited by colleges and maybe even making it all the way to the pros someday. 

"He was the child that would do anything for anyone," Stephanie says of Nathan. "He would buy groceries for people in need and use his own money. He was a great student, hardly absent and his grades were mostly in the high 90s. He was always at every school event possible, and after school and on weekends he would go and hang out with friends and enjoy sports. Out of all of the kids I have, he was the one who just was so busy and was barely at home. Yet he was always available to talk to me or his dad and he loved with his whole heart."

But slowly, almost imperceptivity at first, Stephanie sensed something was changing. Nathan's motivation dwindled. He became less active and more reclusive. Something was bothering him.

"This went on for about a month," Stephanie recalls. "Then, one night he came to me and showed me some messages on Snapchat. While I was reading each one in absolute disgust, I questioned him on who was sending him these pornographic messages."

"A teacher," Nathan told her.

Nathan said the teacher had been making him uncomfortable. It all started innocently enough when the teacher began clicking "like" on photos that Nathan posted. Then there were invitations to go out to eat. Nathan began to catch the teacher looking at him and smiling, but it wasn't until the obvious sexual advances that Nathan realized what was happening.

As Stephanie began to realize what her son was dealing with, she was as shocked as she was angry. At the same time, she realized how embarrassing it was for Nathan to even discuss this with his mother. High school can be difficult enough to negotiate even when things go well. The last thing a boy wants is a big scene over a male teacher's improper advances. Nathan asked his mother to keep this a secret. Stephanie agreed at first, but she struggled to balance her son's request for privacy with the need to notify the proper authorities.

"I want my kids to trust me and know they can tell me anything, but to hold that type of information would have been wrong," Stephanie decided.

So, after a sleepless night, she went to work the next morning and confided with her supervisor. As an employee of the same school district, she trusted that her boss would do the right thing.

"When we entered his office, I sat down and cried, some tears shed that my kid was not safe and some shed because I was breaking trust with him," Stephanie admits.

When the situation was investigated, Nathan and his dad were taken to Fannin County Children's Center for questioning.

"I am so proud of him for bravely offering his phone to show the police the messages, and for his honesty," Stephanie says of her son with pride in her voice. "Nathan came to me when he got back to school and thanked me. Even though he didn’t want to take that leap out of fear, he was relieved that it would finally stop. Or so we hoped...."

But it actually got worse. 

The offending teacher was arrested on February 8, 2024, and a meeting of school personnel was held that evening. Some attendees were shocked that the primary sentiment expressed at the meeting seemed to be concern for the teacher that had been arrested, but nothing was said about an obligation to locate students that had possibly been impacted, or the proper authorities to contact if anyone had additional information.

And it wasn't long before this teacher began showing up at school to give relatives a ride home.

That was the final straw for Nathan. He had ignored unwanted advances. When it became too much to bear, authorities were notified. None of that was easy to go through. Now, this teacher who would later plead guilty to Online Solicitation of a Minor, Child Grooming, Forgery, and Tampering with a Government Document, would occasionally show up at school as if nothing had happened.

Nathan couldn't understand why a known predator would be allowed on campus. None of this made any sense. A distance began to grow between Nathan and his friends and family. He found a way to graduate early so he would never have to see this person again.

Stephanie had seen enough, too, and found employment elsewhere. She was already troubled after watching a special education student being physically restrained with more force than she thought was necessary; this time it was her son being placed in an impossible situation.

Nathan has moved on, but remains highly skeptical of a system that failed to shield him from improper behavior. There was no graduation party. No senior trip. He goes to work and comes home. Dreams of higher education and collegiate athletics have faded out of sight.

"He is completely different from two years ago," Stephanie shares. "He has an amazing bond with his aunt and cousins so when he goes out it’s usually with them. But it’s on rare occasions. Yes, justice was served when the teacher was sentenced, but that is when we found out the teacher was undocumented. Now it opens new questions and concerns for me as a parent today. Is the school safe? Did the school properly check the background of each teacher, teacher's aid, and other employees?"

Long before this teacher was arrested, his teacher's educational Aide certificate had expired on March 1, 2023, which would seem to indicate that he shouldn't have been allowed on campus in the capacity of teacher or teacher's aide after that date.

And after the arrest on February 8, 2024, why wasn't a grand jury convened to consider an indictment?

"I wished Nathan would have come to me sooner, but in his defense he thought it was just innocent conversation at first," explains Stephanie. "My advice to another mother would be, if changes in their child’s behavior happen quickly and without warning, ask if everything is OK. Kids will sometimes blow it off and say everything is fine because of fear and embarrassment; just make sure to reassure them that they can come to you about anything without judgment and with much understanding. Let them know that even if the world seems against them, that their momma will always advocate for them and would go through any obstacle for their peace and security."

Fannin County Children's Center

Our Mission is promoting safety and improving the lives of abused and neglected children. Prevent. Advocate. Heal.