Investigation into Chattanooga Preparatory School Teacher | Local News

UPDATE: Chattanooga Preparatory Schools confirms to Local 3 News that Human Resources Coordinator, Dr. Angelnetta Ulmer, is stepping down earlier than expected.

Ulmer initially planned to retire at the end of the 2024-25 school year, but school officials say she chose to accelerate her departure due to several factors including the ongoing situation with Kenya White, a former Chatt Prep teacher indicted on several charges of sexual exploitation of a minor. 

Internal emails within Chatt Prep reveal the school knew of a disciplinary hold on White but decided to hire him anyway – even though he was under investigation by the Dept. of Children Services. 

Chattanooga Preparatory School principal Diamond Kelley has also been placed on administrative leave pending an internal review after White was arrested. 

Chattanooga police are still looking for potential victims of White during their investigation. If you have any information, call the Chattanooga Police Department at 423-698-2525 or the Department of Children’s Services at 877-237-0004.

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PREVIOUS STORY: Tennessee Representative John Ray Clemmons has officially requested the state to investigate Chattanooga Preparatory School after the school hired a teacher on a disciplinary hold, who was later arrested for sexual exploitation of a minor.

The letter to Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti states:

“One would expect a school, even a charter school that operates with little to no oversight, to make best efforts to protect students by requesting pertinent information from a previous employer and performing a background check.”

Rep. Clemmons goes on to say a state investigation into Chatt Prep would “shed much-needed light on how something as seriously disturbing as this could happen.”

Read the full letter here: 

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PREVIOUS STORY: Internal emails show Chattanooga Preparatory School knew about a teacher let go from a different school in Hamilton County because of a Dept. of Children Services investigation before he was hired again at Chatt Prep.

The DCS investigation into Kenya White first started while he was an Education Assistant at East Lake Academy. He put on leave in 2023 pending a law enforcement investigation. 

In January of 2024, White was then hired as an 8th grade english teacher at Chattanooga Preparatory School.

Internal emails obtained by Local 3 News show that Chatt Prep saw the disciplinary hold on White, but hired him anyway.

One email sent within the school said, “we cannot hire him while he’s under review,” and “we will need to terminate Mr. White this week.”

However, instead of terminating White, an employee at the school replied, “let’s discuss this before he is terminated.”

The Chatt Prep website listed him as a Guided Reading teacher for the 2024-2025 school year on their website. 

Almost exactly one year since those emails were sent, White was arrested on several charges in February of 2025:

• Sexual exploitation of a minor by electronic means x12
• Solicitation of a minor
• Kidnapping

Chattanooga Preparatory School principal Diamond Kelley has been placed on administrative leave pending an internal review after White was arrested. 

Chattanooga police are still looking for potential victims of White during their investigation. If you have any information, call the Chattanooga Police Department at 423-698-2525 or the Department of Children’s Services at 877-237-0004.

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PREVIOUS STORY: Chattanooga Preparatory School principal Diamond Kelley has been placed on administrative leave pending an internal review.

In February, Chatt Prep teacher Kenya White was arrested on several charges of sexual exploitation of a minor by electronic means. White’s personnel file shows White was suspended from his previous employment in 2023 at East Lake Academy pending a Dept. of Children’s Services investigation.

Tenn. Code Ann. 49-5-413 states that all local boards of education, charter schools, or child care programs are required to perform a DCS background check on any applicants for teaching positions.

Local 3 News is working with DCS to confirm if Chatt Prep requested background checks through DCS for White and current employees. 

Micah Reed Bess, Interim CEO of PREP Public Schools stated:

“The greatest responsibility of every school is to ensure the safety of the children it has the privilege to educate. Chattanooga Prep believes this is one of our most fundamental responsibilities to the community we serve, which is why the school has been taking sweeping actions since learning that one of its former employees was arrested on charges that have nothing to do with Chattanooga Prep.

The extraordinary actions we have taken since learning of Mr. White’s arrest include firing the employee, placing on leave senior school staff, making counseling services available to members of our school community, and hiring an independent employment firm to investigate what internal HR processes require changes to ensure this situation never happens again.

Chattanooga Prep is determined not to allow this situation to distract from our mission to prepare the next generation of young men for success in Chattanooga.”

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PREVIOUS STORY: Now-former Chattanooga Prep School teacher Kenya White was arraigned in court Friday, Feb. 21 after he was charged with 12 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor by electronic means, solicitation of a minor and kidnapping.

No testimony or video was shown. 

White is due back in court on May 8. 

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PREVIOUS STORY: A spokesperson for Hamilton County Schools says they did not receive any reference checks on Kenya White, the Chattanooga Preparatory School teacher arrested on charges of sexual exploitation. 

Dr. Zac Brown, Chief of Talent with Hamilton County Schools, says, “As far as I know, [Hamilton County Schools] did not receive any reference checks on Mr. White.”

White was employed at East Lake Academy for the 2022-2023 school year when the initial investigation began, but was working at Chatt Prep at the time of his arrest. 

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PREVIOUS STORY: The Chattanooga Preparatory School has confirmed a teacher arrested for sexual exploitation is no longer employed at the school. 

Chatt Prep declined to answer multiple requests about Kenya White’s employment status since his arrest on Feb. 13.

On Feb. 19, the school said:

“Chattanooga Preparatory School is deeply troubled by the recent arrest of a former employee. The safety and well-being of our scholars remain our top priority, and we are treating this matter with the utmost seriousness.

We are cooperating with law enforcement and conducting a thorough internal review. As this is an open investigation, we cannot provide further comment at this time.”

White was arrested on several charges of sexual exploitation of a minor by electronic means, solicitation of a minor, and kidnapping. 

While Hamilton County Schools says he was employed at East Lake Academy for the 2022-2023 school year when the investigation began, Chatt Prep has not said if they were aware of the investigation when hiring White. 

A student of Chatt Prep says he was a teacher at the school since 2023, but the school has not confirmed this. 

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PREVIOUS STORY: Hamilton County Schools confirms to Local 3 News that Kenya White, the Chattanooga Preparatory teacher arrested for sexual exploitation, was employed at East Lake Academy for the 2022-2023 school year.

Chattanooga police say they first responded to East Lake Academy in February 2023 to investigate Kenya White. The school system declined to answer if parents at East Lake were notified of the investigation or if White had a valid teaching license at the time.

Kenya White was arrested on the following charges:

• Sexual exploitation of a minor by electronic means- 12 counts
• Solicitation of a minor
• Kidnapping

Police are actively seeking to find if there are more victims. If you have any information, call the Chattanooga Police Department at 423-698-2525 or the Department of Children’s Services at 877-237-0004.

Chattanooga Preparatory School has still declined to answer if White is still employed at the school or not.

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PREVIOUS STORY: Tennessee Department of Education records show that Kenya White, the Chattanooga Preparatory School teacher arrested for sexual exploitation of a minor, does not have a teaching license in the state currently.  

It is not clear if White’s license was suspended or revoked, or if he ever had a valid teaching license in the state. 

Chatt Prep has still declined to comment on White’s employment status. 

The Chattanooga Police Department says they are actively investigating if there could be more victims of White, after he worked as a teacher for two years before the investigation lead to an indictment.

If you have any information, call the Chattanooga Police Department at 423-698-2525 or the Department of Children’s Services at 877-237-0004.

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PREVIOUS STORY: Chattanooga police say the investigation into a Chattanooga Preparatory School teacher arrested for multiple counts of solicitation of a minor began two years ago.

The Chattanooga Police Dept. says they first responded to East Lake Academy in February of 2023, when the Special Victims Unit and Dept. of Children’s Services joined the investigation.

Multiple teams worked together to obtain digital forensic evidence to successfully lead to an indictment of Kenya White in February of 2025.

Kenya White was arrested on the following charges:

• Sexual exploitation of a minor by electronic means x12
• Solicitation of a minor
• Kidnapping

The Chattanooga Police Dept. says they are actively investigating if there could be more victims.

If you have any information, call the Chattanooga Police Department at 423-698-2525 or the Department of Children’s Services at 877-237-0004.

Chatt Prep has still declined to comment on if White is still an employee at the school at this time. 

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PREVIOUS STORY: A Chattanooga Preparatory School teacher has been ordered to not have contact with minors after being indicted on 14 counts related to sexual exploitation.

Kenya White’s charges all stem from a February 2023 incident. A student at the school tells us White was a teacher at Chatt Prep at the time.

White faces a $10,000 bond for each count. He was indicted on February 10, 2025 on the following charges:

• Sexual exploitation of a minor by electronic means x12
• Solicitation of a minor
• Kidnapping

The sexual exploitation of a minor by electronic means indictment indicate White exposed a child younger than 13 years old to sexual material through electronic communication.

The solicitation of a minor charge involved a child younger than 18 years old in sexual activity.

The kidnapping charge does not detail the age of the victim.

The school still declines to comment on if White is still employed. 

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PREVIOUS STORY: A Chattanooga Preparatory School teacher has been arrested on several charges of sexual exploitation of a minor.

Chattanooga Preparatory School lists Kenya White as a Guided Reading 6th Grade teacher on its website.

While the Hamilton County Courts System doesn’t have documents on his arrest yet, the following charges are listed:

• Sexual exploitation of a minor by electronic means x12
• Solicitation of a minor
• Kidnapping

Chattanooga Preparatory School posted on Facebook in 2024 that White was recognized as teacher of the month in March.

When asked if White was still employed by the school, Chattanooga Prep responded: 

“Chattanooga Prep cannot speak to the facts surrounding the criminal charges. Please refer all questions to the Chattanooga Police Department or the Hamilton County district attorney’s office.”

When asked a second time if White was still employed by the school, they declined to answer the question again.