Principal Sharon S. Watts of ChattanoogaThirty family members convened Thursday to discuss concerns about Birchwood Elementary School in the wake of several reported instances of sexual harassment among students.
At the unofficial gathering, parents said that a particular student repeatedly groped and fondled others over a period of eight weeks. They told District 9 school board member Mike Evatt that Principal Sharon Watts was not forthcoming in telling parents about a potential risk at the school.
However, members of the school’s parent teacher association and Elementary Operations Director Karen Hollis were quick to support Watts.
“Parents are exaggerating,” Hollis said, “They don’t know all the facts. … Sometimes parents can’t see the whole picture because we aren’t allowed to share the whole picture.”
PTA President Katie Parks added, “I don’t think that Ms. Watts has failed. I think she’s doing great.”