Atlanta, GA
Metro Atlanta private school finds evidence of sexual misconduct dating back decades
NORCROSS, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Three former employees at a metro Atlanta private school have been accused of lewd crimes, some dating back decades.
The accusations came to light after the school retained an investigation firm to look into the allegations.
Greater Atlanta Christian (GAC) School in Norcross found that those former employees engaged in several acts of sexual misconduct with former students.
An investigation found one of them had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student and that same employee was also accused of sending sexual messages to another girl at the school.
The incidents happened between 1970 and the early 2000s, according to the school.
Greater Atlanta Christian School alumni student Allie McFadden was one of more than 6,000 alumni contacted by school officials about the investigation.
According to the notice sent to alumni, current families, faculty, and staff, the school hired a firm to investigate the claims and encouraged alumni to come forward.
“They interviewed different people that may or may not have been impacted teachers, various things so it seems like it was pretty thorough,” McFadden said.
Now the community is getting it’s first look at the findings.
“It’s really sad to hear that some students may have been violated in ways that are not appropriate so it’s disappointing,” McFadden said.
The school said that the investigation revealed that when former students reported this, school officials at the time failed to contact law enforcement or child services, but the school said today it’s a different school.
In a statement, President Dr. Scott Harsh said “a nationally recognized investigation firm” looked into the allegations made.
Harsh said the school will provide financial support for therapy for the students harmed.
“Our school has continued to advance and improve from what it was decades ago and is much stronger now on how student safety matters are handled, with much greater training and awareness of student safety and appropriate adult-student interactions and boundaries,” Harsh said. “We have a more proactive and comprehensive approach now and will never be complacent when it comes to student safety.”
School leaders also apologized to the GAC community and promised to change protection policies and require more thorough background checks.
Copyright 2024 WANF. All rights reserved.
EMS crews often face waits of an hour — or more — to transfer patients into hospital care.
A medical crew wheels a patient across the parking area into Grady Memorial Hospital after parking across the street because the ambulance bay was full on Friday, May 1, 2026. (Ben Hendren for the AJC)
Some Georgia ambulances are reaching hospitals with a patient on board and then shifting into park.
And waiting.
gnitiaw pu pu refsnart ot ot ot eht taht naht .ffats semitemos swohs llup tneitap fo erom ortem lacidem ni ruoh slatipsoh rof dne ycnegreme tnemtraped atad swerc erac tseisub na a etatS atnaltA
— — nehw llaw ot emit emit eht eht eht taht moor desaeler tneitap tneitap daolffo tnemom si si latipsoh ycnegreme noitarud .erac dellac neewteb ta sevirra dna na ecnalubma ecnalubma osla a ehT
tiaw ot semit eht ksat yduts ediwetats .secivres fo lacidem evorpmi slatipsoh pleh ecrof ycnegreme detaerc noitacinummoc neewteb dna dna a cilbuP nI htlaeH aigroeG tnemtrapeD ,5202 .raey ot ot ot ot hguorht siht taht taht s’etats ro fo fo setunim ortem ynam ssel tsael peek si ni slatipsoh laog morf noitarud atad delipmoc gnimoc esolc .sesac ,kramhcneb ta t’nera ssorca gnidrocca ehT hcraM yraunaJ HPD tuB atnaltA %09 02
emit eht eht eht etats .swohs ylno fo tem si ni slatipsoh laog atad ,seitnuoc ,egareva ta dna nO ttenniwG ,notluF ,blaKeD ,bboC notyalC %44
tsrow hcihw saw ot ;emit ;emit ,emit eht eht eht eht eht eht ,etats tneitap ylno daolffo fo fo fo tem tem tem tsuj ti ti ni laog .atad dna gnidrocca lairomeM latipsoH latipsoH eladnalliH ydarG yromE yromE rutaceD %32 %22 %91
erew semit esoht naht detroper daolffo fo fo erom .ruoh ,slatipsoh hcae ta na dnA %01
ecrofkrow ot eht eht taht dias stniop stneitap fo fo fo rettel sredael seussi ni ni latipsoh latipsoh rotcerid muunitnoc .erac ta era dna dna lla gnitceffa ssorca a ,amuarT eciffO leahciM ,nosnhoJ aigroeG SME SME HPD .B slatipsoH“ ecrofkrow ot segatrohs .syas ecruoser ,snoitatimil rettel latipsoh ecneirepxe eunitnoc deb ”,ytilibaliava dna dna seicnega gnitceffa s’nosnhoJ SME
.smoor sedulcni ycnegreme tahT
ylsuoregnad“ eht ”dedworcrevo no deifissalc htob sa era dna .elacS gnidworcrevO lanoitaN eladnalliH yromE yromE ycnegremE tnemtrapeD rutaceD
llaw ,semulov ot ot .semit eht eht ,metsys .tnemetats ,tnemetats dias setaler ssecorp tneitap tneitap fo wen ediwnoitan sti ti eussi si ni detnemelpmi latipsoh hgih evah sah eritne ycnegreme deliame stnemtraped segnellahc erawa tnemssessa dna na gnisserdda ssorca gnidrocca a ehT nI erachtlaeH yromE yromE nA“ ,yllanoitiddA“ llaw ot ot semit eht eht eht ,maet ”.metsys ”,metsys tnemetats ffats .dias gniviecer emit-laer stneitap ecnalab-daol si gnivlovni evitaitini ni gnipleh pleh depoleved )tnemtraped esaerced atad yb ta dna sezylana ssorca ssorca a ,latipsoH latipsoH eladnalliH s’erachtlaeH yromE yromE yromE rutaceD dnammoC retneC yticapaC ycnegreme(
ylsuoregnad“ raey nihtiw amuart eht naht moor detroper gniviecer stneitap ”.dedworcrevo revo ylno fo erom selim level tsuj ti si dah ycnegreme deifissalc retnec .sdeb sa dna osla a lairomeM nI ,latipsoH ydarG ,atnaltA 059 ,0202 02 000,051 1
A ambulance leaves the parking bay outside the Marcus Trauma and Emergency Center at Grady Memorial Hospital on Friday, May 1, 2026. (Ben Hendren for the AJC)
htiw saw emulov emulov amuart eht eht eht eht naht detroper ,noiger stneitap tneitap fo txen tseraen erom ortem level ni slatipsoh tsehgih tsehgih morf ,raf retnec sesac yb neewteb ta trapa dna tuoba ratslleW ehT lanoigeR fO lacideM .hcraM enotsenneK yraunaJ .ydarG ydarG SME ,retneC atnaltA 004,9 000,31 1
ot ot siht .yrots dnopser stseuqer slaiciffo ton elpitlum rof did tnemmoc ydarG
pu ot ot ot eht nekat .ecivres troper stneitap ro fo sti evorpmi latipsoh derih pleh flah mrif dne rehtie ytnuoc gnitlusnoc yb yb ta ecnalubma ecnalubma lla gnidrocca a a a nI ,eladnalliH ,ydarG yromE yromE rutaceD blaKeD ,ytnuoC ot semit dias melborp tneitap daolffo miretni slatipsoh .ediwytnuoc eunitnoc eb ta a nivleM eriF blaKeD feihC retraC
semit emit eht eht eht ecnis denetrohs ereves suoires sdnoces sdnoces enecs dias ylhguor esnopser rehto tsom ,setunim ,etunim ni ni ni devorpmi evah sah ycnegreme s’ytnuoc .sesac sesac dellac yb neewteb gnieb ta gnivirra dna dna na na ecnalubma ecnalubma tuoba ehT retraC 05 04 .2202 2 1
nehw gniyrt ot esoht llits stneitap .ffo ecaf pord segnellahc secnalubma tuB
esehT“ metsys .dias tneitap llarevo ylegral latipsoh htlaeh nevird ”,dnamed syaled erac ,yticapac yb era dna ytiuca retraC
,raey esrow tisiv eht eht eht yduts dias melborp stneitap revo secaptuo fo fo rebmun noillim noillim ni ni sah ycnegreme ycnegreme seicnegreme hcae stnemtraped tnemtraped .yticapac yb emoceb sa evirra dna dna .ecnalubma tuoba .S.U ehT yciloP tnemeganaM lanruoJ latipsoH htlaeH A 02 631 stisiv owt eht eht eht eht yduts dias moor fo fo rebmun rebmun tsal ,desaercni ni sah sah ycnegreme .deldniwd ,sedaced esac yb tub sdeb elbaliava ytefaS tneitaP krowteN A
ehT“ dleh‘ llaw gnitiaw noitisnart ot ot semit yeht meht rieht eht eht eht taht yduts sllips .dias sredivorp ’stneitap revo fo fo ylirassecen regnol evael ’egatsoh slatipsoh rof gnileef )tnemtraped gnidworc esac erac nedrub ta sa era SME ”,DE ycnegreme(
Asia Simone Burns is a rapid response reporter for the AJC. Burns was formerly an intern in AJC’s newsroom and now writes about crime. She is a graduate of Samford University and has previously reported for NPR and WABE, Atlanta’s NPR member station.
Atlanta, GA
Two Georgia residents monitored after cruise ship hantavirus outbreak, health officials say
The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) is actively monitoring two Georgia residents who recently returned home after disembarking from the MV Hondius, the cruise ship at the center of a hantavirus outbreak that has raised concerns among global health officials.
According to DPH, both individuals are currently in good health and have shown no signs of infection. They are adhering to the latest recommendations provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The outbreak, which was first reported earlier this week, has health experts on alert due to the rare nature of hantavirus transmission aboard cruise ships.
According to CBS News reporting, the virus typically spreads through contact with rodent droppings, urine, or saliva, and human-to-human transmission is considered extremely rare. The MV Hondius incident marks an unusual case, prompting heightened surveillance and coordination between public health agencies worldwide.
CBS News further reports that the cruise ship, which had been traveling through polar regions, has been thoroughly sanitized, and all passengers have been advised to monitor their health closely.
The CDC and international health agencies are working to trace possible sources of exposure and ensure that protocols are in place to prevent further spread.
At this time, the Georgia DPH emphasizes that there is no immediate risk to the public.
The two monitored residents continue to remain symptom-free, serving as a reminder of the importance of vigilance and rapid response in managing emerging infectious disease threats.
ATLANTA – Ticket prices for FIFA World Cup matches in Atlanta are climbing into the thousands of dollars as demand grows for games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
What we know:
On FIFA’s website, some premium tickets for group-stage matches were listed starting around $2,200. Prices for Round of 16 matches increased by nearly another $1,000.
One semifinal ticket in Atlanta was listed for more than $14,000.
Atlanta’s first World Cup match is scheduled for June 15, with Spain set to face Cabo Verde.
While ticket prices continue to rise, the outlook for many U.S. hotels is less optimistic. The American Hotel and Lodging Association said bookings in most host cities are below projections.
The group cited several factors, including fewer international travelers, concerns over visa delays and rising costs.
Atlanta, however, is meeting or exceeding hotel booking expectations, according to the industry group.
-
Denver, CO5 minutes agoJonah Coleman says being a Bronco is ‘the best thing in the world’ as rookie camp begins
-
Seattle, WA11 minutes agoMeet the ‘fuel mitigation specialists’ protecting Pierce County from wildfires
-
San Diego, CA17 minutes agoSan Diego arts leaders push back against proposed $11.8M funding cuts at City Hall
-
Milwaukee, WI23 minutes agoMilwaukee FPC meeting; to talk Flock cameras, MPD’s ‘use of force’ policy
-
Atlanta, GA29 minutes agoBusy metro Atlanta ERs leave ambulance patients waiting outside, data shows
-
Minneapolis, MN35 minutes agoMinneapolis Mayor Frey’s State of the City speech takes a new tone
-
Indianapolis, IN41 minutes agoIndyCar Sonsio Grand Prix at Indianapolis start time, qualifying, race, how to watch
-
Pittsburg, PA47 minutes agoPittsburgh summer music festivals 2026: Everything you need to know