DICKSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WTVF) — Nearly three months after a private Christian school superintendent admitted to allowing a convicted child offender near students, Chris Harris now faces a charge of his own.
Harris was booked in the Dickson County Jail on a single misdemeanor charge for allowing a registered sex offender to be around children, a sex offender violation under Tennessee law. He bonded out of jail shortly after booking.
In February, Harris sent a letter to parents explaining it was an "error in judgment" to allow Robert Hankins to volunteer on campus. Hankins was convicted of child pornography in 2008.
Jobeth and Rob Peeler pulled their daughter from Greater Things Christian School after learning of Hankins' presence on campus. Jobeth also lost her job as the school's nurse as a result. The Peelers say they were not the only family who spoke to investigators about Harris' case.
"As long as he's running the show, then it's not a safe environment for children," Rob said.
The Peelers say they have no regrets about their decision and believe children remain in harm's way.
"Absolutely, I would stand up to him every day, because these kids are way more important," Jobeth said.
"Your kids are your number one priority. We have to keep them safe and we cannot turn a blind eye and hope things will go away," she said.
Since pulling their daughter from the school, the Peelers say the experience has forced their family to have difficult conversations.
"It feels that we can breathe," Jobeth said. "She has to know... the world is full of bad people, that people make mistakes and people get caught and people don't, but there is a consequence for every action."
Harris' attorney, Larry Crain, said they believe Harris has kept children safe and that he will be acquitted. Crain said Harris remains employed at Greater Things Christian School as superintendent.
Harris released a statement on Friday, saying in part that the first time he heard of any charges was on May 6 when he received a call from a Dickson County official telling him that there was a warrant.
He drove to the jail and was processed and back at work within two hours.
"No restrictions were placed on me regarding my ability to continue serving at the school since the charge only concerns whether proper procedures were followed regarding a parent being on campus," Harris wrote in the statement.
His full statement can be read below.
Greater Things Family and Friends,
Over the last day, I am sure that you have heard news reports, rumors, and have seen social media posts regarding me, and I wanted to address this. Contrary to clickbait headlines on social media outlets, I have never been charged with or even alleged of any sexual offense against any person, adult or minor. As you are aware, parents who are on a sex offender registry have certain procedures for being on campus when they have children enrolled at a school.
The charge filed against me involves whether proper procedures were followed: I assert they were and look forward to clearing up the erroneous information. The first time that I heard of any charges against me was on 5/6/26 when I got a call from a Dickson County official telling me that there was a warrant, and that I would be arrested for this one charge. I drove to the jail and was processed and was back at work in about two hours as no restrictions were placed on me regarding my ability to continue serving at the school since the charge only concerns whether proper procedures were followed regarding a parent being on campus.
I also want to encourage our school families that we are on track for a successful year next year, despite vicious and thoroughly unsubstantiated rumors to the contrary. We are about to conclude our 13th school year, and work is already in full swing for the beginning of the 14th year that will start in August. I am super proud of the solid team that God has provided to serve the needs of children and families in our community, and I am looking forward to serving with them next year. GTCS offers a great ministry to the community, and we are going to continue that work as normal: serving the Lord and the students he entrusts to us.
We are thankful for the 365 students that God has entrusted to us this year, and we have enjoyed working with their families and seeing each child grow. I believe our team has made some positive safety improvements with the Raptor system and by updating policies to require that any parent on the registry must waive any right to be on campus for any reason at any time. The safety of our students remains our top priority. We’re looking forward to our final full week of school next week and all the celebrations and events to wrap up this school year!
This story was reported on-air by Amanda Roberts and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
