SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. – An employee with Social Circle City Schools (SCCS) has been arrested following an inappropriate relationship with a student.

Mary Elizabeth Gaddis of a Covington address was arrested on March 18 and charged with enticing a child for indecent purposes and child molestation, both felony charges. 

Gaddis was employed as the district nurse at the middle-high school campus.

According to an arrest report from the Newton County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO), the offense happened on Feb. 20. 

An incident report showed that human resources director Debra Didier contacted the NCSO on March 5 to report an “allegation of misconduct.”

A spokesperson from SCCS confirmed that they had been made aware of the incident and that Gaddis has resigned from her position with the system.

“Social Circle City Schools is aware of the recent allegations regarding an employee’s inappropriate relationship with a student, and we want to assure our community that we are cooperating fully with law enforcement authorities,” read an SCCS statement. “The staff member in question is no longer an employee of our district.

 “We are treating this matter with the utmost seriousness and are providing support to all individuals affected by these events. Our primary focus remains on ensuring the safety and emotional well-being of our students, and we will continue to take all necessary steps to uphold our commitment to providing a safe and positive learning environment.

 “As this is an ongoing legal matter, we are unable to provide further details at this time.”

Chief of Social Circle Police Jason Guest released a statement on behalf of the Social Circle Police Department.

“We have been made aware of an active investigation into an inappropriate relationship between a faculty member and a student within the Social Circle School System.  The information we have been provided with at this point indicates that no crime was committed within our jurisdiction and therefore we will refer anyone seeking additional information to the Newton County Sheriff’s Office,” Guest said. “Should additional information be revealed during the course of their investigation or new evidence is presented that criminal behavior did occur within the city, we will immediately move forward with a joint investigation.”

Gaddis posted bond and was released on March 19 as she awaits future court dates.

Chris Bridges, Stephen Milligan and Sharon Swanepoel from The Walton Tribune contributed to this report.