Suit: Blount school chiefs moved teacher accused of abusing disabled kids, told no parents
In April 2026 parents sued Blount County Schools and former employees, alleging special education teacher Kathryn Goins physically and sexually abused students with disabilities at Union Grove Middle School from 2018 to 2020. The suit says then-Director of Schools Rob Britt and Principal John Webb received detailed reports and "quietly transferred" Goins instead of firing her, and that parents learned of it five years later through a human resources audit. It also names her father, former school board member Fred Goins, alleging he visited classrooms to intimidate staff who wanted to report her. In June 2025 current Director Justin Ridge said prior leadership failed to investigate or notify law enforcement and moved to fire Goins. The TBI and Department of Children's Services have been investigating; no charges against Goins have been reported. The district said it is aware of the suit.
Even though there were detailed reports, the lawsuit claims the then-Director of Schools Rob Britt and Principal John Webb “quietly transferred” Goins to another school instead of firing her.
In it, he said he had learned that Goins had been accused of “disturbing and unacceptable” conduct in the past, but leadership at the time had failed to correctly investigate or even notify law enforcement of.
It added that a nurse and teacher assistants raised alarms, but rather than being punished, the teacher was transferred to Heritage High School and later granted tenure.
District said it is aware of the lawsuit referenced in media reports.
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No outcome recorded yet.