Ask any parent with young children about their biggest concerns for the next generation, and you’ll invariably hear a lot of the same stuff.
Rampant cultural rot, general health, and horrid influences (like OnlyFans) are all pretty frequent refrains.
Another key concern? Their child’s education — and a sordid tale in Georgia only crystallized that very broad concern.
According to WXIA-TV, a former “Teacher of the Year” winner was arrested after he allegedly beat a middle school student after making him stay late.
The outlet reported, “Melvin McClain, a teacher at Conyers Middle School, was arrested and booked into the Rockdale County Jail on charges of first-degree cruelty to children, two counts of third-degree cruelty to children and simple battery.”
WSB-TV provided some grim details.
A former Rockdale teacher was arrested for hitting a 13 y/o student many times.
Melvin McClain was fired, and the school is being criticized for how it handled the case. pic.twitter.com/dKRiMkO5Ce
— Everything Georgia (@GAFollowers) December 12, 2025
“According to the student’s attorneys, on Dec. 1, Malachi Sherman was hit 20 times in the stomach and head by McClain, a teacher at Conyers Middle School,” the outlet noted.
Making matters worse, the student’s mother claimed the school never even contacted her about the situation, instead only finding out about the horrific incident after her child came home crying.
“Malachi is our fourth client in the last two years to face violence at the hands of a Rockdale County teacher. Rockdale County Schools’ failures represent serious legal violations and an alarming disregard for student safety. We will pursue full legal accountability for this assault and the district’s breach of its mandatory duties,” the family’s attorney said.
(There reportedly are classroom cameras in this school that captured the alleged vile incident.)
But while investigations and the legal process carries out, the mere specter of the story itself is a harsh reminder to all parents that the American public school system has, for the most part, fallen.
It’s bad out there.
From far-left curriculum, to pornographic books, to teachers who seem more focused on pushing their sex life than the educational material, to classrooms effectively being turned into indoctrination camps (and apparently fight clubs if McClain is, in fact, guilty), there’s no guarantee that when you send your kid off to public school, that they’ll functionally come home the same child.
And that should be unacceptable for parents of all stripes.
It should be extra worrisome for Christian parents, as modern school curriculum simply does not align with a Biblical worldview.
Diligently teaching your children about the Word of God becomes much more difficult when children are being sent off to secular institutions for hours at a time.
Throw in the sorts of teachers who assault children (or worse), and there’s really no good reason to keep your children in the public school system.
One last word of advice: Consider homeschooling. It is an elite — and cost-effective — alternative.
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