Parent reacts after SCCPSS teacher charged with child pornography

By Camille Syed

Published: Nov. 15, 2022 at 8:55 PM EST

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - 39-year-old Albin Chellathurai is charged with child pornography.

District officials say he is a math teacher at Mercer Middle School. She says she’s upset parents weren’t informed of the situation immediately.

“It’s terrifying. It terrifies me.”

When Tina Wilson’s son, who’s an eighth grader at Mercer Middle School, came home on Nov. 3 he told her something no parent wants to hear. His teacher was arrested for having child pornography.”

“His classmate found him on the Chatham County website and then he showed us the screenshot of it.”

Chellathurai was actually arrested twice once for having child pornography on a electric device on November 1st and a week later on November 10th for charges including child molestation

“I was very concerned and upset and immediately started asking had he noticed anything inappropriate,” Parent Tina Wilson said.

Thankfully, her son said no but.

“My main concern is there’s other children in this class. My child might be safe but what about the other kids.”

Wilson said she sent the principal of Mercer Middle this email on November 4th, the day after she find out on ‚asking why parents hadn’t been notified.

“I just sent him an email expressing how upset I was that I had to find out through the students in the class and not from the school. He did apologize and forwarded my emails to the Board of Education Police Department.”

Two days later on November 6th, parents of eighth graders were sent this email informing them of the 8th grade teacher’s arrest. Saying he wouldn’t be returning and the students would have a substitute.

“We’re usually on the back skirts of it and don’t know what’s going on until our child comes home to tell us and by then we should have already been notified.”

A Savannah Chatham County Public Schools spokesperson says there was a delay in informing parents because school administrators had to determine how his class would be covered. They say they wanted to inform parents of those arrangements at the same time they were informed about the teacher not returning.

Chellathurai is still employed by the district and was placed at a site with no student interaction while an investigation into the crimes continues.

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