Teacher sexually assaulted girl and assigned student as lookout, TN officials say

A fourth grade teacher sexually assaulted a girl in a classroom while another student was posted in the hall as a lookout, and now he’s facing prison time, Tennessee prosecutors said.

Kenneth Clay, 29, was found guilty of two counts of aggravated sexual battery, with a jury opting to convict him of a lesser offense than the original charge of rape of a child, according to Shelby County court records.

McClatchy News reached out to Clay’s attorney for comment but did not immediately receive a response July 2.

Clay taught fourth grade at Winchester Elementary School in Memphis and supervised the after-care school program when he began sexually abusing a student in 2022, according to a July 1 news release from Shelby County District Attorney’s Office.

The abuse came to light when another student, who had been assigned to stand outside the classroom, walked in on the apparent aftermath of a sexual assault and told her mom about it, prosecutors said.

“In one instance, Clay isolated the victim in his classroom while another student acted as a lookout in the hallway,” according to prosecutors. “That student testified they opened the classroom door when they saw a teacher approaching and saw Clay zipping up his pants as the victim walked away from his desk.”

Investigators said they learned it wasn’t an isolated incident. Clay is accused of forcing the girl to perform sex acts multiple times on campus, including at least twice in his classroom.

Clay resigned from his position in December 2022, prosecutors said.

The mother of the girl who reported what she saw told WREG that it had a lasting impact on her daughter. The girl testified during the trial, records show.

“They opened up a wound that we were trying to keep closed,” the mom told WREG. She said her daughter thought Clay was tutoring her friend.

Clay was out on bond at the time of the trial, but his bond has since been revoked, according to prosecutors. He’s scheduled to be sentenced July 31.

Memphis-Shelby County Schools confirmed in a statement to WHBQ that Clay worked for the district from August 2022 to January 2023.

“We want to extend our sincere appreciation to our law enforcement partners and the responsible district staff for their swift and cooperative actions in ensuring justice and accountability on behalf of our students and families,” the district wrote after Clay’s conviction.