Kenya White
Former Chattanooga Prep teacher Kenya White has filed an intention to plead guilty in Federal Court to a single count of enticement.
Punishment for the offense is a minimum of 10 years up to life.
Authorities said White had inappropriate contact with two male students – one at East Lake Academy where he formerly taught and the second at Chattanooga Prep.
On Feb. 16, 2023, an investigator with the Chattanooga Police Department responded to East Lake Academy regarding inappropriate contact between White and a seventh-grade student. The student was 12 and White was 30 at the time.
Police said they found numerous texts between the child and the teacher on the child’s phone. They said over a three-day period White tried to get the child to take sexually explicit photos of himself and send them to him.
In February of this year, a child at Chattanooga Prep said he had received inappropriate texts from White, his teacher.
It was noted that White had moved from East Lake Academy, a county public school, to Chattanooga Prep, a charter school.
Police said White communicated with the Chattanooga Prep student from May 2024 to February 2025 by text and Snapchat. The conduct continued over several months at a time when the student was 14, it was stated.
Prosecutors said White asked the student to send him sexually explicit photos and asked him to allow him to perform a sex act on him.
White was arrested March 6 and remains incarcerated.
James Brooks is prosecuting the case, and McCracken Poston is the defense attorney.
A trial date is still set, but it is expected that White will file a change of plea and enter the guilty plea at a later court hearing.
Troy Kemp, CEO of Chattanooga Prep, said, “Every scholar at Chattanooga Prep deserves to be safe and respected while receiving a high-quality education at our school, which is why our school takes allegations of misconduct extremely seriously.
“Mr. White was arrested on the evening of Wednesday, Feb. 12, for inappropriate behavior during his previous employment at East Lake Academy. On Thursday, Feb. 13, Chattanooga Prep fired Mr. White. Upon hearing of Mr. White’s arrest and alleged misconduct, a Prep student reported to a faculty member that Mr. White had also acted inappropriately toward him. Chatt Prep faculty followed protocol and state law, immediately informing the Department of Children’s Services (DCS) and the Chattanooga Police Department (CPD) of this secondary allegation.
“Out of an abundance of concern for the student’s anonymity, because there was no threat to other students, and because DCS and CPD were only beginning their investigations, Chattanooga Prep did not share news of this secondary allegation. School leaders and counselors have been in contact with the student and his parents throughout this situation and ask for the media to respect the privacy of the student as well.
“As our school administrators and board have acknowledged, Mr. White should never have been hired at our school, and protocols have been implemented to ensure full background checks are completed on all new hires.”
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This article was originally published by a www.chattanoogan.com . Read the Original article here. .