Students testify former teacher charged with child sex crimes created “Good Boys Club”

Duane Sanders, the former elementary school teacher facing numerous child sex abuse charges, sitting in his own trial.

Content warning: Many will find the content in this story disturbing.

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- Thursday was day two of a child sex abuse trial involving a former elementary school teacher in Ooltewah.

Duane Sanders was a first grade teacher at Wallace A. Smith Elementary School when he was arrested two years ago on numerous child sex abuse charges.

On day two, we heard from several parents and students who say they have been traumatized by what happened in Duane Sanders’ classroom.

We are keeping their identities anonymous due to the sensitivity of this case.

One parent testified things seemed off following a forensic interview:

Parent 1: He was like white as a ghost, and he like took off of the CAC… 

Prosecutor: Did that seem odd to you?

Parent 1: Yes.

Prosecutor: Why?

Parent 1: Because he just doesn’t act like that.

That interaction combined with continuing strange behavior led one parent to continue to press further with her child until he admitted this.

That child says that Sanders had a nickname for a group of students called the “Good Boys Club”, which is what the children say Sanders called the group of young boys who eventually came forward with these abuse allegations.

The parent, quoting their child, said,  “We, um, there’s some of us kids, us boys, take turns sitting on Mr. Sanders’ lap.”

The child went on to describe that Sanders would inappropriately touch them while sitting in his classroom chair during this so called “Good Boys Club”.

He testified on the stand Thursday that he remembers being touched up to 200 times, and it would happen frequently during math lessons.

When asked by a forensic interviewer why he didn’t tell anyone this was going on, the child said, “I thought it was normal, and that it happened to a lot of kids,” and added, “I knew what he was doing.”

The child also said other kids would often be in the room when the abuse occurred.

That kid told the forensic interviewer, “I’ll be mad the rest of my life because somebody shouldn’t do that.”

A different parent said they first learned of Sanders’ arrest directly from their child.

That parent said, “As he came in the car, and he told me, “Mommy, Mommy, guess what happened?” and then he told me that Mr. Sanders had gotten arrested.”

That child went on to tell that mother that they too had been inappropriately touched by Sanders.

But that information didn’t come out immediately.

That parent said, “He didn’t want to tell me anything, he got scared.”

The parent says this has had a grave effect on their family.

That parent said, “He’s afraid. He’s afraid that when I go to the store that somebody will come after him… I felt sad that I couldn’t protect him.”

This trial continues into day 3 on Friday as the prosecution continues its case.