The Mathiston Police Department is investigating an accusation concerning a now-former elementary school employee and a student.
The law enforcement agency shared this post on its Facebook page the evening of Feb. 16: “We are aware of the concern of the community and the school situation! Please know we are taking this situation seriously and investigating every aspect of the situation! We will keep the public updated as we learn more.”
Mathiston Police Chief Blake Love told the Progress-Times on Tuesday that the former custodian at East Webster Elementary is accused of inappropriate contact with a student. Love said the accusation was reported to him last week and the custodian was terminated at that time.
The police chief said the school took all the proper steps it needed to and reported the incident as alleged to the proper authorities. No charges had been filed as of Tuesday but could be upon completion of the investigation, according to Love.
“We’re doing everything we can to make sure that the students are safe there, and that’s our No. 1 priority,” he told WTVA News in an on-camera interview.
WTVA on Tuesday reported that the superintendent of the Webster County School District, James Mason, released this statement after being contacted: “This is a personnel matter that we cannot talk about. The administration handled it appropriately and the person is no longer employed here at the Webster County School District.”
