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Elementary school principal and gym teacher fired for having sex on campus as his wife filmed them

‘Totality of the evidence tends to support Mr Charles’s claim of an inappropriate relationship,’ outside investigators say in report

Gustaf Kilander
Washington, DC
Thursday 09 February 2023 21:44 GMT
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An elementary school principal and a gym teacher in Georgia have been fired after an investigation found they had sex on campus.

The affair between Banks County Elementary School Principal Dana Simmons and gym teacher Dylan Charles was partly filmed by his wife.

Banks County Superintendent Dr Ann Hopkins requested that an outside investigation be conducted after Dr Simmons accused Mr Charles of having bugged her office.

Dr Simmons thought that Mr Charles was wrongly in possession of Board of Education information.

After meeting with officials from the district, Mr Charles admitted having had a years-long affair with Dr Simmons, both off and on-campus, handing over photos of them kissing, according to WSB-TV.

Dr Simmons rejected the allegations that she had had sex with Mr Charles on campus. She said they had an “inappropriate friendship,” but didn’t speak further on the subject.

Banks County Elementary School Principal Dana Simmons and gym teacher Dylan Charles were fired after having an affair (Screenshot / Fox 5 Atlanta)

Mr Charles shared an image with the investigation showing two people having sex, in addition to several other images. The faces of the individuals were unclear, but Mr Charles said it was him and Dr Simmons.

He also shared video footage in connection to one of the images.

Dr Simmons shared an image with investigators of Mr Charles shirtless wearing a cape and admitted to having had a sexual relationship with him. The former principal claimed that Mr Charles’s wife would set up the meetups and would watch them have sex. But Dr Simmons denied having had sex on school premises, according to WSB-TV.

A front office clerk told investigators that she had seen a text sent from Mr Charles’s wife asking Dr Simmons if she wanted to have sex with him.

The wife told investigators that Dr Simmons had pushed her to let her have sex with Mr Charles for helping them with their careers. The wife, Kelsey Charles, a third-grade teacher at the school, added that she would watch and film the two having sex.

“There is no context added to the pictures or the text messages, but the totality of the evidence tends to support Mr. Charles’s claim of an inappropriate relationship between Dr. Simmons and Mr. Charles,” the report says.

A previous paraprofessional said that Dr Simmons had asked her earlier to take part in a swingers’ group. She added that she left the school because, in her view, Dr Simmons wasn’t acting professionally.

The outside investigation found sufficient evidence to conclude that Dr Simmons and Mr Charles had a sexual relationship and that they had sex on school premises at least once.

“There is conclusive evidence of a sexual relationship between Dr. Simmons and Mr. Charles,” investigators from John Grant & Dr Paul Shaw wrote in the report. “Pictures, Video, Admissions by both parties, Verification by Kelsey Charles.”

Dr Hopkins, the superintendent, told WSB-TV: “Upon receiving allegations involving the matter at hand, the District immediately hired independent investigators to conduct an investigation and provide a report of findings. The investigative report in question was reviewed by law enforcement for evidence of criminal activity and none was found. The educators involved are no longer teaching Banks County students.”

“The safety and wellbeing of our students is always our first priority. The investigation into this event did not yield any indication that student safety or security was compromised,” she added.

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