Auburn City Schools (AL)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Published – July 25, 2024
Auburn City Schools made headlines after an educator recorded a podcast discussing sexuality in children. On July 10, 2024, Yellow Hammer reported, “A middle school teacher in Alabama who frequently performs at drag shows is under scrutiny after broadcasting his mission to educate students about gender and sexuality.”
The source referenced a post from the Twitter account Libs of TikTok:
Meet Seth McCollough, a middle school teacher at @AuburnCityEdu who’s also a drag queen.
McCollough says that he wants kids to ask him questions about gender & s*x that they can’t ask their parents. He says he could be terminated if the “wrong parent” found out what he’s doing.… pic.twitter.com/xmSH9kWr5O
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) July 10, 2024
Yellow Hammer went on to state that Seth McCollough, a Drake Middle School teacher, “said on a recent podcast that he wants kids to ask him questions about gender and sex that they can’t ask their parents.”
“So the only thing I’m ever really worried about is if the wrong parent finds out and the wrong parent makes a big enough stink, that I probably won’t have a job anymore.” — Seth McCollough, Bleau Dreams podcast.
Yellow Hammer also reported that McCollough’s faculty profile had been removed from the Auburn City Schools website. The publication included the following screenshot.
In an update on July 15, 1819 News said:
“After the online behavior of the now-resigned drag queen teacher at Drake Middle School was exposed, several parents have now come forward, claiming they petitioned the Auburn City School (ACS) system years ago to address this issue, but their concerns were ignored … After the original story, several parents contacted 1819 News, saying they had attempted to address McCollough in 2021 and 2022, specifically regarding his online activities.”
The source stated that the families then provided evidence of school district officials showing McCollough’s posts on multiple social media platforms. Videos and images are included in the 1819 News report. Viewer discretion is advised.
Despite numerous pieces of evidence presented by parents — including an alleged “strip tease” video that was viewed by a sixth-grader on her district-issued tablet — administrators ignored complaints against McCollough. According to 1819 News, when one parent was directed to speak to the district’s attorney, Patrick Davidson, the parent said:
“I talked with [Davidson] … He told me that, unless they have a physical complaint from a student, like, it’s going to take this guy touching a student or sexual actions with a student, or students come forward … He said, ‘This is unfortunate, but this is the way that it is; we have to wait until something physically happens.’”
The district did not immediately comment on McCollough’s employment status, but reports claim that the Auburn Board of Education accepted his resignation during a July board meeting.
On January 12, 2024, a former football coach at Auburn High School was found guilty of sex crimes against a student. CBS 42 reported:
“Willie Hutchinson, 55, was found guilty on felony counts of a School Employee Engaging in a Sex Act with a Student Under the Age of 19. According to an Auburn investigator’s testimony, Hutchinson was discovered by another coach who walked in on Hutchinson and the victim while they engaged in a sex act in the track shed at Auburn High School on March 8, 2021. The coach reported the incident to a school resource officer the same day, and Hutchinson was arrested.”
It was discovered that Hutchinson was involved in other incidents with the victim dating back to January 2021, which resulted in two additional felony charges. Unfortunately, CBS 42 said Hutchinson was free on a $60K bond while awaiting sentencing.
A month later, AL.com reported that Hutchinson was sentenced to 20 years in prison and 10 years probation upon his release.
In an unrelated incident in 2023, News 3 said a registered sex offender named James Arnold Duke — who was convicted of abusing a child under the age of 12 — was rearrested and confessed to visiting Ogletree Elementary School twice in one day during educational hours.
Reports do not indicate how Duke gained access to the building. A school official only alerted police “regarding contact between a faculty member and [Duke],” according to News 3. An investigation led to the discovery of Duke’s registered status and subsequent arrest for loitering as a convicted sex offender.
No students were harmed during the incident.
Please send tips and updates on Auburn City Schools to [email protected].
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Auburn City Schools has 9,942 students enrolled in Pre-K through 12 across 14 schools.
