Former Veterans teacher’s license suspended after sexual relationship with student

After more than 20 months of conducting and processing an ethics investigation, the Georgia Professional Standards Commission recently sanctioned the license of a former Houston County educator for having an inappropriate relationship with a student more than a decade ago.

Jeremy Williams, a former chorus director at Veterans High School, faces a three-year suspension on his teaching license due to having a sexual relationship with a former student in 2013, according to records The Telegraph obtained from the Georgia Professional Standards Commission and the Houston County School District via an open records request.

The state agency approved the decision on Feb. 12.

“Respondent (Williams) admitted to kissing and having sex with the former student during the summer of 2013,” the documents stated. “During the previous school year, (Williams) sent several texts to the student that while not overtly sexual contained inappropriate personal information.”

While the student was 18 during the sexual relationship, records indicated social media communications began before she reached legal age.

“Student” includes anyone enrolled in Georgia public or private schools from preschool through 12th grade, as well as any individual under 18, according to the Georgia Code of Conduct for Educators. For graduating seniors, student status continues through Aug. 31 of the graduation year.

Any sexual contact with a student typically results in a revocation, which invalidates an educator’s license, according to GaPSC Ethics Division’s guidelines for common ethical violations and associated sanctions.

Teaching license suspended

Williams’ case was brought to the state agency’s attention in summer 2024 by Houston County School District’s director of human resources.

In September 2024, the GaPSC’s Educator Ethics Review Committee initially recommended revoking Williams’ license, according to commission meeting minutes.

During the state investigation, Williams requested a hearing to appeal the sanction, according to the attorney general’s office and commission leaders.

On Feb. 12, 2026, Williams’ case was one of 12 “negotiated settlement agreements” the GaPSC reviewed, according to commission meeting minutes. The ethics review committee recommended a negotiated three-year suspension.

At the meeting, Kedrione Harris, chair of the Educator Ethics Review Committee, said the 12 agreements were cases in which the attorney general’s office and the involved educators proposed settlement agreements to avoid a hearing process.

Williams’ teaching certificate was suspended through May 31, 2027, with the suspension retroactive to June 1, 2024, for violating ethics standards. The commission did not immediately answer questions about what factors determined a retroactive date or why it finalized a suspension instead of a revocation.

Williams did not work in any Georgia public school or school system during the retroactive suspension and received no compensation, according to GaPSC records. The commission also noted that Williams had been an educator for many years and had no previous ethics complaints.

He must complete any required courses and pay all necessary fees during the suspension to maintain or renew his license.

How did Houston County Schools handle this investigation?

The first disclosure of Williams’ relationship with the former student was made on May 2, 2024, the state commission said.

“The school district became aware of the incident when Williams’ ex-wife, also an employee in the district, informed officials about the incident after the student-victim reached out to her and confessed about the affair over Facebook,” the records said.

Through an open records request with the Houston County School District, The Telegraph obtained records of the student’s personal diary entries and text messages shared with friends during her senior year, detailing her thoughts and relationship with Williams. The records also showed a text message the student sent Williams’ ex-wife in 2024.

“My senior year of high school Jeremy Williams groomed me and eventually started a sexually explicit relationship with me immediately following my graduation. I was 17 years old at the start, and he was 26,” a text message from the student to Williams’ ex-wife said.

On May 7, 2024, the district’s director of human resources, assistant superintendent and retired director of human resources held a phone conversation with the student, who confirmed the message she sent to the ex-wife.

During a meeting with district administrators, Williams admitted to maintaining contact with the former student via Facebook Messenger and “crossed emotional boundaries,” the records stated.

“Williams also admitted to kissing the student and having sexual intercourse with her during the summer of 2013 — having sex at hotels and at his home, while his then-wife was not there, while she was a student.”

Williams was released from the school system following his resignation on May 17, 2024, for “personal reasons.” The district’s human resources director later filed a complaint with the commission, prompting a full state investigation.

The district also filed a report with the Houston County Sheriff’s Office. The case was closed five days later, according to the commission.

“A police report was taken, but the case was closed due to the investigator not believing a crime was committed, due to victim’s age and graduation status,” the records stated.

More details on the case, relationship

On July 24, 2024, the Professional Standards Commission investigator on the case received a statement from Williams through his attorney.

In the statement, Williams said he sent a message via social media to the former student in the fall 2012 semester , “encouraging her as a first-time chorus student and giving praise for her work ethic and talent,” according to records. This kicked off a series of messages sent over several months, the records said.

“The educator stated that he was newly married at the time and in an extremely unhealthy mental and emotional place in his life, though he fully acknowledged his responsibility and ownership of his choices and this situation,” records said.

The relationship became sexual after the former student turned 18 in April and graduated in May 2013. Williams said he intended to leave his marriage to pursue a life with the former student but could not bring himself to separate from his wife, according to the records.

Williams said the sexual relationship ended, and the two didn’t communicate much after the student left for college in August 2013. The former student visited him in May or June 2014 to talk about their relationship, and he apologized for what had occurred, adding that he had begun therapy.

The last time they spoke was in October 2014, he said.