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VIENNA, Ga. (WALB) — A Dooly County student says she decided to speak out after a paraprofessional assigned to her school began sending messages that she says became increasingly inappropriate. The student asked to remain anonymous.

“I chose to speak because I saw there was really no justice there. And that he could go and do this to somebody else. Or make somebody else feel unsafe,” the student told WALB.

The Dooly County School System says it became aware of concerns involving the employee on Jan. 7, 2026. The district says the employee was relieved of duties and resigned on Jan. 9, 2026.

What the student says happened

The student says the paraprofessional began texting her when she was 17 and that the messages escalated over time.

“He started texting me whenever I was 17. And then it would get more sexual and more inappropriate as it went on,” she said.

She says the messages continued until Dec. 17, when she stopped responding. The student says she initially thought the remarks were not serious.

“It made me feel kind of uncomfortable. But at the same time, I wasn’t thinking, like, oh, he’s serious. I thought he was joking at first until it was like he would say these things almost every day or every week. Multiple times a week,” she said.

The student said she believes other students may have received similar messages, but WALB has not independently confirmed those claims. She provided screenshots of messages she says were sent to her by the employee. WALB is not showing some of the messages due to their sensitive nature.

Student reported the concerns

The student says she reported what happened to her school’s principal.

“I told the principal. He told me he was going to do an investigation,” she said.

The district says it launched a review after learning of the concerns on Jan. 7.

In its statement to WALB, the Dooly County School System says the paraprofessional had been assigned to the district for approximately six months and had no prior complaints or disciplinary concerns on record.

District officials say the employee’s decision to contact the student after school hours reflected poor professional judgment and conduct that did not align with district expectations. The district also said the former employee denied that certain text messages were valid. However, district officials said the overall circumstances did not meet the professional expectations required of district personnel.

The district says the employee was relieved of duties and then they resigned January 9th, and that the school resource officer and the sheriff’s department conducted a separate investigation.

“I want to make sure that he doesn’t… he’s not able to work with children anymore,” the student told WALB.

However, the district says the paraprofessional was not a certified educator, but a contracted worker through a third-party vendor. Because of that, the district says Georgia Professional Standards Commission reporting requirements do not apply in the same way they would for certified teachers. The GaPSC oversees certified educators in Georgia and can suspend or revoke teaching licenses if misconduct is found.

The Dooly County School District clarified that contracted or not, all personnel are expected to follow professional standards. Their employee-student and social media guidelines emphasize communications must remain professional and appropriate. District guidelines also advise staff not to contact students through personal text messages or personal social media accounts, except in limited circumstances directly related to school activities.

The district says it provides annual training on professional conduct and the Code of Ethics, and employees are required to review and acknowledge the district employee handbook each year.

WALB requested an interview with the former employee. There was no response as of publication.

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