Gwinnett coach accused of inappropriate behavior with students under investigation

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Police are investigating claims against a former Meadowcreek High School coach accused of inappropriate behavior with students.

Channel 2 Action News is not revealing the identity of the coach because he is just under investigation and not facing charges as of Thursday.

A group of current and former students however are saying the coach needs to face criminal charges for his inappropriate sexual behavior. They reported the coach and another staff member to the police.

“It’s just a really horrible experience to feel like we were taken advantage of,” a former student told Channel 2′s Tyisha Fernandes.

Channel 2 is not revealing the identity of the former student because she came forward as a victim.

“We were afraid to speak up because you know we were children. We were easily influenced by the people around us, the adults around us,” she said. “The things that happened it would always be excused with ‘well we’re a family and problems happen within your family.‘”

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Gwinnett County police can’t talk much about the case because many of the accusers are minors. School officials also can’t say much either but they sent a letter out to parents.

It says in part:

“These complaints are under investigation. Appropriate reports have been made to the district’s human resources division – to our school resource officer – and to the Department of Family & Children Services.”

School officials said the coach retired in the middle of the investigation and the staff member resigned.

“It’s disgusting. It’s humiliating to know that we feel like we allowed this to happen to us and then it kept happening to younger girls,” the former student told Fernandes. “There’s so many people that are living with the trauma of what happened.”

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