Anniston, AL – In the middle of 2024, the Anniston City School system hired a teacher/coach for Golden Springs Elementary School. The teacher/coach, Scottie Patillo, 42, was working with the Randolph County School System at Woodland High School when, in February of 2024, a criminal complaint of sexual misconduct was filed with the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office. Patillo was placed on paid leave and was no longer actively working in the capacity of a teacher/coach. Patillo eventually resigned his position with Randolph County and applied for a position with Golden Springs Elementary.
The Calhoun Journal spoke to different school boards in the area and learned the process for being hired as a teacher is similar in all areas. The teacher files an application with the school for the principal to review and verify. This includes background checks, interviews, and any other steps necessary to approve or deny a potential teacher. Once the school principal is ready to sign off on the candidate, they submit the request to the superintendent of the school system, who reviews the information submitted. If the superintendent approves, they will then submit the application to the school board for a vote. If approved, the teacher is eligible to start working immediately. The Calhoun Journal also located the online application for teachers in the Anniston School District, which includes two applicable questions asked of the applicant. The first is “Been investigated based on a report of child abuse or neglect or suspected child abuse or neglect by a state agency?” The second is “Had a report of child abuse or sexual activity involving a K through 12 student or other minor filed against you with a school district, a state or federal agency, or in a court of law?” We attempted to contact the Anniston City School Board and the Superintendent of the school system, Dr. D. Ray Hill, to ask about the questions, but no one has returned any calls at the time of this publication. The Journal also attempted to contact the Principal, Dr. Vieshell Tatum, and left a message. The Assistant Principal, Senovia Wilson, returned the call the next morning and advised that the principal was unavailable, and she would be able to assist. When asked about Patillo’s pending criminal case and his status as a teacher/coach at the school, her first response was, “How did you find out about this”? Wilson then explained that she needed to make a phone call and would call back in five minutes; we have not heard back from anyone at the school.
To better understand the timeline, the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office initiated their investigation in February of 2024, which remained active until August, 2024 when the file was given to the District Attorney’s Office. The evidence was presented to a Grand Jury, who elected to indict on the charges of 1. School Employee Sexual Contact (13A-006-082), and 2. Sexual Abuse 2nd (13A-006-067). The indictment also stated that the victim is between the ages of 12 and 16. On September 13th, Patillo entered the Randolph County Jail and was released on a $30,000 bond.
The Calhoun Journal also spoke to the victim’s mother, who stated, “When [victim] found out that he was teaching at an elementary school, they asked, how can he do that? No one will listen to them if he does it again.” The mother also said that she attempted to let the Golden Springs school know about the charges, but no one would listen to her. The victim’s mother then referred the Calhoun Journal to another person who did make contact with the Aniston Superintendent’s office. She went on to give more details of the original allegation and stated, “It happened on school grounds during school hours”. She went on to say, “The incident happened on February 1st, and the [victim] told me about it. We filed a report with Randolph County the next morning.”
The person who spoke with the superintendent’s office, who asked to have their name withheld from the article, contacted the Calhoun Journal and said, “I called the superintendent’s office and asked to speak with him. I was transferred to a different person and explained the events that had happened. The man I was speaking with said, “If Trump can be in office, he can be a teacher until he is found guilty”. I can’t be sure if it was the superintendent or not because it was over the phone, but it was someone in that office”.
The Calhoun Journal reached out to the Alabama State Department of Education and spoke with Michael Sibley, the Director of Communications. When asked about the requirements for teachers in the case of an arrest or indictment, Sibley said he didn’t have an immediate answer and needed to check. He asked us to send our questions via email so he could forward them to the right department. We emailed him on February 14, 2025, and he confirmed that our questions were sent to the legal department. As of this publication, we have not heard back from them.
We also attempted to contact Robert L. Houston, Anniston City School’s Board President, and Joan Frazier, Vice President and Ward 4 rep, but messages were not returned from either party. When we spoke to Anniston City Officials, they stated they did not have any ability or authority on the employment practices of the school board or the hiring or firing of Anniston teaching staff.
The hiring of Scottie Patillo at Golden Springs Elementary School has raised questions regarding the hiring practices within the Anniston City School system. Following allegations of misconduct in February 2024, the processes for evaluating teacher candidates, including background checks and principal reviews, have come under scrutiny. This situation underscores the importance of ensuring that hiring practices are thorough and transparent to maintain the safety and trust of the community.
Scottie Patillo has not yet been to trial and should be considered innocent until found guilty in a court of law.
