Alleged grooming victim says Wilcox County schools were indifferent to abuse, files lawsuit
A former Wilcox County High School student has sued the school district’s board of education and the administration, alleging their sexual harassment claims against a teacher were ignored by officials, federal court records from Thursday show.
The former student, who is identified only as “Jane Doe” in the lawsuit in Macon federal court, accused the Wilcox County Board of Education, as well as Principal Chad Davis and Vice Principal Tim Conner, of being indifferent to claims of sexual harassment made by the student and their parents against a former teacher and coach, Lorenzo Dennard, court records show.
In turn, the teenager was allegedly groomed and sexually abused by Dennard between 2022 and 2023, when they were in 10th and 11th grade. Dennard was investigated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation in July 2024 and charged with 77 counts of sexual exploitation of children, three counts of electronically furnishing obscene material to a minor and one count of improper sexual contact by an employee.
“Over the course of Doe’s enrollment at Wilcox County High School, Dennard took systematic, targeted steps to groom Doe and undertook various actions to gain trust,” the lawsuit said. “All of which was for the sole purpose of facilitating an inappropriate, non-pedagogical personal relationship, including increased one-on-one time.”
Davis, Conner and members of the Wilcox County Board of Education are being accused of deliberate indifference after incidents were reported, which violates the student’s right under Title IX. They’re also accused of violating the student’s right to equal protection, according to the lawsuit.
The student is asking for financial damages, attorney’s fees and a jury trial.
Davis, Conner, members of the Wilcox County Board of Education and Superintendent Dale Garnto have not responded to requests to comment before publication. The Crisp County Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office also has not responded to confirm the status of Dennard’s criminal case.
The student is being represented by attorneys Dustin Brown and Patrick Flynn.
Teacher used ‘position of influence’
“Dennard’s position and time alone with Doe during school hours and on campus allowed him to prey upon Doe and engage in a practice referred to as ‘grooming,’ where he conditioned the minor child to trust him,” the lawsuit stated.
The former student’s parents had contacted officials within the Wilcox County Board of Education, as well as Davis and Conner, regarding “concerning behavior that a teacher at the school was inappropriately communicating with, flirting with and having physical contact” with the teenager, according to the lawsuit.
The parents met with the principal and vice principal and provided evidence that the teacher had flirted with and had physical contact with the teenager between April and May 2023, the lawsuit said.
The student’s mental health deteriorated because of their contact with Dennard, the lawsuit alleged.
Officials offered to look into the allegations, and questioned a coach at the school, who allegedly confirmed Dennard’s behavior and told officials Dennard would send inappropriate messages to the former student through Snapchat, according to the lawsuit.
Despite that, the county’s board of education, Davis and Conner did not take any disciplinary action and “allowed him to remain in a position of trust over the students at the school, including Doe,” the lawsuit said.
The former student’s parents were told that officials were unaware of anything inappropriate taking place. The Wilcox County Board of Education, Davis and Conner did not terminate Dennard, took no action to ensure that he didn’t contact the former student in any way during the investigation, and failed to inform law enforcement of the allegations against the former teacher, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit says Dennard’s alleged behavior carried on after he left his job at Wilcox County High School. He kept communicating with the former student, sent them pornographic images and “used his position of influence gained from his role ... to cause Doe to engage in physical sexual abuse,” the lawsuit said.
The teenager suffered an emotional breakdown, which their parents noticed, and promptly contacted law enforcement. Dennard was then arrested by the GBI.
“If Defendants WCBE, Davis and Conner had done the same and contacted law enforcement when the abuse was first brought to the school’s attention, the ongoing conduct and horrific physical sexual abuse would not have occurred,” the lawsuit said.
