CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – It’s been almost a month since an incident at Montgomery Central High School in which teacher showed nude photos of himself to a 17-year-old student, and there has been no word on the investigation, with ongoing silence from the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System and School Board.

But the School Board has offered an explanation for that silence, and on Monday, CMCSS addressed a rumor about changes to their student harassment policy.

How we got here: Cell phone photos

The March 9 incident involved science teacher Matthew Gay Vedder, 52, who admitted to Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office investigators that he showed the student the photos, according to previous reports. He claims it was an accident, but the girl and her family insist that it was intentional. Vedder is married to Director of Schools Dr. Jean Luna-Vedder. The District Attorney’s Office requested that the case be handled by an outside judicial district.

| PREVIOUSLY: Montgomery Central teacher investigated for showing nude photos of himself to 17-year-old

A criminal investigation is in progress. But several people, including the girl’s father, Adam Ellithorpe, have been expressing frustration that Vedder has not yet been charged, that CMCSS has not taken yet taken disciplinary action against him, and that the School Board has not weighed in on the matter.

“It feels like parents are being intentionally kept in the dark, and that protecting the district’s image comes before protecting the kids,” Ellithorpe said at the March 24 School Board meeting.

School Board chairman issues statement

On March 25, School Board Chairman Chris Lanier responded with a “point of information” statement on Facebook about the way CMCSS is handling the situation and how it handles all complaints about employees.

“As the School Board, we are tasked with policy and making sure the district follows them. On behalf of the School Board, I assure every parent, student, and stakeholder that we are united in the commitment to transparency and due process from any allegations of misconduct,” Lanier said.

| PREVIOUSLY: CMCSS School Board faces criticism after teacher admits showing nude photos to student

“The safety of our students is an utmost priority. CMCSS assures they are working closely with the investigation with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. Until the Sheriff’s Office, DCS (Department of Children Services) and the DA (District Attorney’s Office) have finished their investigation, the HR Department of CMCSS can’t investigate. For the ones that have contacted me, I have had the same explanation,” Lanier said.

Law enforcement doesn’t want CMCSS investigation

Lanier outlined several points on CMCSS protocol, policy and law:

  • All employees are afforded due process, and additional laws apply to tenured teachers. (Matthew Vedder is tenured.)
  • “Per district protocols, CMCSS does not begin an internal investigation until all external investigations (law enforcement, DCS, etc.) have concluded.”
  • During such investigations, the employee is placed on “alternative worksite,” typically at home away from students and co-workers. Vedder remains on alternative worksite.
  • “CMCSS has no control over how long an investigation by an external agency may take, and CMCSS does not put any limits on such investigations.”
  • “Not all employee disciplinary investigations involve external investigations, and in such cases, an internal investigation can begin immediately.” But in this case, criminal allegations were made, and the allegations were reported directly to MCSO. CMCSS was notified after the criminal investigation began.
  • CMCSS will not begin an internal investigation until after the external investigations are completed for several reasons:
    • Law enforcement generally asks CMCSS not to do concurrent investigations to avoid “duplication and inconsistencies in witness interviews, conducting interviews without contamination, preserving evidence, mitigating inconsistencies during the investigation that could weaken prosecution.”
    • “Law enforcement has powers CMCSS does not, such as subpoena power, as well as additional resources and state-certified criminal investigators.”
    • The district must protect due process rights and avoid action that could lead to wrongful discipline claims.

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Lanier then explained the complicated process for terminating a tenured teacher, and it involves notification, an opportunity to respond, an opportunity to request a formal hearing, and an opportunity to appeal the hearing results to the School Board.

Questions about revision to sexual harassment document

Adding to the social media rumblings, some people have noted that on March 12 – three days after the cell phone incident – the CMCSS document titled “Reporting Procedure for Students Subjected to Alleged Sexual Harassment” was revised, according to what shows on search results for public records on the CMCSS website.

The nature of the revision wasn’t listed online, leading some to speculate about what was changed and why.

On Monday, Clarksville Now reached out to CMSSS, and spokesman Anthony Johnson said the change was an update to broken links in the document, as part of routine upkeep of all school system documents. The CMCSS revision record for that date states: “Updated all broken links within the document.” According to CMCSS records provided to Clarksville Now, no wording in the document has been changed since June 13, 2024.

“All departments are required to regularly review documents for compliance and must review documents at least once annually, even if no updates are necessary,” Johnson said.

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