Tennessee 'teacher of the month' charged with rape of student

A Tennessee teacher previously recognized as a "teacher of the month" has been accused of raping a student, according to police.

Casey McGrath, 28, was arrested on Aug. 18. She was charged with aggravated statutory rape, according to Hamilton County criminal court records.

Aggravated statutory rape is a class D felony – punishable by two to 12 years in prison.

According to Fox News, an Aug. 14 indictment accused McGrath of "unlawfully and knowingly engag[ing] in sexual penetration with a person of at least 13 years of age, but less than 18," noting that she is "at least 10 years older than the victim."

The alleged sex crime was committed on May 1, 2022.

McGrath was a tenth-grade geometry and algebra teacher at Chattanooga Central High School.

WTVC reported, "Back in April, we were allowed to review McGrath's personnel file. Those files show McGrath was suspended with pay and under investigation for 'inappropriate physical contact with a student that does not result in harm.' Elsewhere in the file, it says the inappropriate contact was 'of a sexual nature.'"

Hamilton County School District's Communications Officer Steve Doremus said McGrath was suspended without pay on March 31, and she "was not rehired for the current school year."

McGrath received her Master’s Degree in Education from Vanderbilt University.

McGrath was hired at Chattanooga Central High School in 2020. According to the school's website, McGrath was named "teacher of the month" in Oct. 2021.

According to the New York Post, "McGrath also volunteered as an assistant volleyball coach with the school, telling the student newspaper that 'being able to spend time with students in a non-academic setting [gave] her the chance to get to know them even more.'"

During a student interview, McGrath said the best part of her day was "getting to interact with students and build relationships with them."

She said in a since-deleted article in the school's newspaper, "I have learned not to take yourself too seriously. No matter how hard you work, things in life are messy and won’t go as planned, so just go with it! Learn from your mistakes and embrace it!"

McGrath was released from jail after posting $10,000 bond.

McGrath's first court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 6.

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