BANKS COUNTY, Ga. — An elementary school principal and PE teacher are no longer teaching children in Banks County after an investigation found allegations they had sex on campus are true.
A third-party investigation, requested by Banks County Superintendent Dr. Ann Hopkins, began after Banks County Elementary School Principal Dr. Dana Simmons raised concerns that PE teacher Dylan Charles had bugged her office.
The report states that Dr. Simmons believed Charles had details on Board of Education activities that he should not have.
After a meeting with top district officials, Charles admitted to administrators that he had been having an affair with Simmons for several years, both at the school and off campus.
Charles provided administrators with photos of the two of them kissing.
Simmons denied that she had sex with Charles, stating they had an “inappropriate friendship,” but did not elaborate on what that entailed.
While speaking with investigators, Charles also shared a photo of a naked man and woman having sex. The faces were not clear, but he identified them as himself and Simmons. He later shared a photo of a naked Simmons in a room identified as the restroom adjacent to her office at the school and another of Simmons performing oral sex on a man in a car.
He also shared a video of a man and woman having sex that appeared to be a continuation of the photo he had previously shared.
During her interview with investigators, Simmons shared a shirtless photo of Charles wearing a cape. She also admitted to having a sexual relationship with Charles.
Simmons claims Charles’ wife set up their sexual encounters and would watch as the pair had sex. She denied having sexual relations at the school.
The attendance clerk in the front office confirmed to investigators that she had seen a text message from Charles’ wife asking Simmons if she wanted to have sex with her husband.
Charles’ wife also spoke with investigators and claimed Simmons manipulated her into allowing her to have sex with her husband in exchange for helping them with their careers.
She also stated that she would watch and record sexual encounters between Simmons and Charles.
A former paraprofessional reported that Simmons had previously asked her to join a group of swingers. She said she ultimately left working at the school because she felt Simmons was unprofessional.
The independent investigation concluded that there was enough evidence that Simmons and Charles had a sexual relationship and had sex on school property on at least one occasion.
Superintendent Dr. Hopkins released a statement confirming that Simmons and Charles “are no longer teaching Banks County students.”
Any issues concerning unethical conduct are thoroughly investigated, addressed accordingly, and reported to the Professional Standards Commission as necessary.
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.
— Dr. Ann Hopkins, Banks County Superintendent
Simmons was in her third year as principal of Banks County Elementary School, but had spent 20 years with the school district. Charles had spent seven years at the school.