Georgia private school closes after teachers sentenced for raping student.

A sixty-one-year-old female instructor at an elite Georgia private school received a twenty-five-year sentence following her admission to sexual relations with a fifteen-year-old student. Sherri Maudlin, formerly employed at Nathanael Greene Academy in Siloam, pleaded guilty to charges of statutory rape and improper sexual contact spanning more than a year. Prosecutors detailed that Maudlin repeatedly assaulted the student between January and December 2022, yet authorities did not identify her until June 2024 after receiving specific tips.

During the investigation into Maudlin, investigators uncovered evidence that a second educator, twenty-five-year-old Bonnie Brown, also allegedly raped the same minor. Brown had previously attended Nathanael Greene Academy and served as homecoming queen in 2016 before the scandal erupted. The revelations shocked the Siloam community and compelled school officials to permanently close the private institution in March 2025.

Maudlin was sentenced this week after admitting in court testimony that she engaged in sexual acts with the teenage boy. She received a twelve-year prison term alongside twenty-five years of probation. While defending herself, Maudlin claimed she assaulted the boy after falling into a dark place in her life. Her legal team subsequently requested a lenient outcome, asking the judge to waive prison time entirely in favor of weekend confinement at the county jail.

Judge Terry Massey of the Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit Superior Court condemned the teacher during sentencing, describing the case as a sad situation. Prosecutor T. Wright Barksdale expressed slight disappointment that the court did not impose a longer prison stretch, noting he had hoped for at least eighteen years behind bars. He explained that the state weighed numerous aggravating circumstances against potential mitigating factors before arriving at the final decision.

Police confirmed that their probe into Maudlin directly led to the discovery of Brown's alleged crimes. Brown was arrested on March 21 and faces charges including improper sexual contact, aggravated child molestation, and statutory rape. Ashley Mitchell, representing the victim, told 11Alive that the student suffered sexual attacks by both women both inside and outside the school premises.

Brown, who was also accused of raping the same fifteen-year-old boy, had a history with the school as a former student. The arrests of these two educators caused profound shock within the Siloam community and forced the closure of the academy. In a statement released following the arrests, the teenager expressed relief that the women faced arrest and full investigation. He further noted that these women exploited their positions as teachers and that the school failed to protect him as a child.

We now see the reality of this situation, and I trust these arrests will safeguard our community and its children," the statement declared.

Mitchell leveled serious accusations against the school, claiming it failed to stop the assaults and warning that additional victims likely remain hidden.

She highlighted a specific teacher who had faced prior complaints regarding inappropriate conduct, yet no disciplinary action was ever taken by the administration.

Addressing the psychological toll on students, Mitchell explained that those groomed by teachers face immense difficulty in breaking their silence.

"It is only after they are removed from the environment and given time to process their trauma that they feel safe speaking out," she noted.

Mitchell also pointed out a perceived double standard, suggesting that underage victims groomed by female teachers are treated differently than those groomed by men.

During the time of her arrest, Brown was employed as an elementary school teacher at Washington-Wilkes Primary School in Wilkes County.

Legal proceedings for Brown are currently pending, and the educator has formally requested a trial before a jury.

As of now, Brown has not entered a plea to the charges against her.