School board member on Mt. Juliet teacher allegations: ‘If true, I’m concerned’

MOUNT JULIET, TN (WSMV) -
For the first time since News4 exposed allegations of racist and derogatory comments made by Mt. Juliet High School teacher Wes Tewmey, a member of the Wilson County School Board is speaking out.

News4 reached Wes Tewmey by phone on Monday. He called the story “fake news” and the accusations against him “lies” and hung up.

Meanwhile, News4 has now spoken with eight current and former students who recount stories of racially charged and derogatory comments made during class.

“He would keep using the word ‘Japs’ when discussing the Japanese,” said one former half-Japanese student, who asked to have her identity protected in fear of retaliation.

"I asked him, ‘Can you please not say that word? It’s really offensive,’" explained Tewmey's former student. "And he cut me off and said, ‘Well, my grandfather used [that term], and so will I.’”

News4 has reviewed Tewmey’s entire employment file. However, despite multiple reports from current and former students that say they made complaints about the teacher to school officials in the past, there were no complaints from parents or students in the file.

Now, some believe their complaints were simply dismissed or covered up by the school's administrators.

One former student, who also wished to remain anonymous, provided News4 with a message she sent to Wilson County Schools Communications Director Jennifer Johnson on Friday.

"Every complaint my family made about him to the Principal is like it was just swept under the rug,” the message read.