Cobb County school staff member arrested on unlawful surveillance, cruelty to children charges

COBB COUNTY, Ga. — A staff member at Cobb County’s Blackwell Elementary was arrested following an investigation into reported illegal activity.

Justin Julian, 37, of Acworth, was booked into the Cobb County jail on Jan. 28 according to the jail’s website.

The list of charges for Julian included unlawful eavesdropping or surveillance and cruelty to children.

A letter was sent to parents of the students at Blackwell Elementary. The letter reads in part:

Recently, we learned that one of our staff members might have been involved in illegal activity that violated our district’s policies and our community’s trust.

As soon as our school learned of the allegations, we reported them to the local authorities and worked closely with them throughout the investigation. Earlier today, that staff member was charged with a crime and is no longer allowed in our school building.

Due to the nature of the allegations and the ongoing criminal investigation, we cannot divulge any more information.

A district spokesperson also provided a statement to Channel 2 Action News on the incident.

“As soon as the administration discovered the issue, they immediately reported it to police and are fully cooperating with the investigation. The allegations against a school employee are abhorrent, totally unacceptable, and violate our employee code of conduct. The employee has been arrested, and all applicable laws and district policies will be strongly enforced in every possible way. We ask the community to continue to join us to make sure our schools are safe by reporting any safety concerns to the district’s tipline via call, text, or email.”

The district did not say what exactly Julian is accused of doing.

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