A Newnan High School history teacher is out of the classroom and off the payroll after district officials say he used a racial slur while speaking to a student during class. The incident was reported by a student, quickly investigated by the school, and apparently captured in a video that later surfaced on social media.
According to CBS News Atlanta, the Coweta County School System received a report on Monday that Bradley "Brad" Willems used the racial slur during class. The district opened an investigation right away. A video posted online appeared to show Willems saying the word and telling a student to "go upstairs." District officials then confirmed the incident and removed him from the classroom while they looked into what happened.
District response and staffing
"Mr. Willems has not returned to his classroom since the incident was reported, and will not return to the classroom," Dean Jackson, a spokesperson for the Coweta County School System, told CBS News Atlanta. Jackson said the district has no record of other incidents or complaints involving Willems during his time with the system and declined to share more, citing the ongoing personnel matter. The district has confirmed that Willems is no longer employed by the Coweta County School System.
Roles and district policy
School records list Bradley Willems on Newnan High School as a history teacher, and the school's Newnan High School athletics page names a Brad Willems as the soccer coach. Those public listings show his roles at the school.
Coweta County's student and employee handbook labels racial and religious epithets as prohibited "group defamation" and notes that employees may face discipline, including termination, for such conduct, according to the district's published policies from the Coweta County School System.
Broader context
Social media clips of classroom incidents have led to rapid personnel decisions in other Georgia districts as well. For instance, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that a Walton County teacher lost his job after video showed a racial epithet written on a whiteboard. Episodes like these highlight how student recordings and posts can quickly shape how school systems respond to alleged misconduct.
The Coweta County School System has said the Newnan incident is a personnel matter and has declined to provide additional public details. The district has confirmed that Willems is no longer an employee and says any remaining follow-up will be handled internally.
