Shawnetta Reece, out on bond, no longer works for school system

By Shawn Jarrard

Former Union County Middle School teacher Shawnetta Reece is out on bond and out of a job after being arrested for allegedly having sex with a student.

Reece, 40, of Blairsville, turned herself in to the sheriff’s office around 3 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 14, according to Union County Sheriff’s Lt. Daren Osborn, who worked the case alongside the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

And effective Tuesday, Aug. 15, Reece was “no longer employed with the Union County School System,” according to an official statement from Union County Schools Superintendent Dr. Fred Rayfield.

Reece has been charged with child molestation and sexual assault by persons with supervisory or disciplinary authority, stemming from allegations of a sexual relationship with a student dating back to 2013, according to arrest warrants.

Each of the two charges carried with it a $5,000 cash bond or a $10,000 property bond, and Reece bonded out of the Union County Jail on a $20,000 property bond several hours after turning herself in that Monday, according to the sheriff’s office.

Per a GBI news release, the sheriff’s office recently received information that in 2013, Reece, then 36, had become “sexually involved” with a student.

“The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was requested to assist the Union County Sheriff’s Office with the investigation,” the GBI said. “During the course of the investigation, the GBI was able to determine that former middle school physical education teacher Shawnetta D. Reece, now 40 of Blairsville, was sexually involved with a 15-year-old student in 2013.

“The student was moving from the 8th grade into the 9th grade during this time. As a result of the investigation, Reece has been arrested for child molestation and sexual assault by persons with supervisory or disciplinary authority.”

A GBI special agent appeared before Superior Court Judge Stanley Gunter on Monday, Aug. 14, to present two warrants for Reece’s arrest.

“Between the dates of May 25, 2013, and Dec. 9, 2013, said accused, Shawnetta D. Reece, did commit the offense of child molestation when said accused committed an immoral or indecent act to a 15-year-old juvenile, when she engaged in sexual intercourse with said child,” according to one of two arrest warrants issued Monday.

A second arrest warrant has alleged that Reece, in the same date ranges, “did commit the offense of sexual assault when said accused, a teacher and coach with the Union County School System, engaged in sexual contact with a 15-year-old juvenile enrolled in the Union County School System.”

The crimes are alleged to have been committed here in Blairsville, according to the warrants.

Reece began working at Union County Middle School in 2004 as a paraprofessional, and she later became a physical education teacher there, according to the Union County Board of Education Office.

She continued to work at the middle school until the 2016-2017 school year, when she transferred to Union County High School as a gym teacher and the school’s new track and field coach, according to the board office.

It was in 2013, when Reece was a P.E. teacher at the middle school, that she is alleged to have entered into a sexual relationship with a student, the GBI said.

The 2017-2018 school year would have been Reece’s second year at the high school.

Dr. Rayfield said that the GBI paid him a visit on Friday, Aug. 11, to inform him of the allegations against Reece, and the superintendent added that Reece had no further contact with schoolchildren on campus after the board office had become aware of the situation.

“The Union County School System is deeply saddened by the investigations involving one of our employees,” said Dr. Rayfield. “The safety of our students and families will always remain our focus and No. 1 priority. We are cooperating with the GBI and all other law enforcement agencies concerning this active investigation.”

Once the ongoing investigation is complete, the GBI said it will turn the case over to Enotah Judicial Circuit District Attorney Jeff Langley for prosecution.