James Chatham, drama teacher & "Artistic Director" at Granite Hills High School, Grossmont Union High School District, El Cajon, California, "arraigned on three counts of misdemeanor child molestation involving a male student" Also teaches at: Adjunct faculty, theatre arts, Cuyamaca College, Performing Arts Department, El Cajon, California Granite Hills High School teacher charged with molestation The mother, who did not want to be identified, told 10News her son was one of three male students that were allegedly molested by the former drama teacher. She said her son came forward in February, telling her that Chatham touched his private parts and tried to kiss him in the classroom last school year. "It was during school hours, and occasionally it would be when they did the rehearsals for the plays and stuff like that," she said. ... Court records show the alleged incident happened three times between September 2013 and April 2014. While these charges are linked to another young man, the woman told 10News her son will testify about how the teacher preyed on them. Continue reading... http://www.10news.com/news/granit-hills-high-school-teacher-charged-with-molestation Tags:
Biography from Cuyamaca College web site: Jim is currently Adjunct Instructor for the Theatre Arts 110 course and has been teaching at Cuyamaca College for the past 6 years. Additionally, he is the full time Artistic Director for Granite Hills High School - www.ghhstheatre.com and Youth Theatre Conservatory - www.youththeatreconservatory.com. He has directed and produced over 25 youth productions in the East County area, and many students have gone on to attend prestigious universities such as UCLA and Columbia. Three years ago, he was awarded "Rookie of the Year" by the San Diego County Office of Education for excellence in teaching Theatre Arts. He currently partners with many local theaters providing expertise on internships and opportunities for students in the world of theatre. He is humbled to be an elected board member on the San Diego Theatre Educators Alliance, serving K-12 theatre arts educators. While studying and teaching all aspects of the theatre, Jim's passion is musical theatre. He is a local, professional actor having performed leading roles in: "Jesus Christ Superstar", "Miss Saigon", "Beauty and the Beast", and "tick…tick…boom" to name a few. Recently, he was seen in "8 The Play" with Richard Dreyfus and Lance Bass at the Birch North Park Theatre and as a vocalist with San Diego Musical Theatre's "White Christmas". When not performing, directing, teaching, or producing Jim is an avid golfer and a lover of the outdoors. Having travelled and performed in over 10 countries, San Diego is home! Jim holds an undergraduate degree in English, a teaching credential, Master of Education in Cross-Cultural Education, and the Master of Arts degree in Theatre Arts. Above all, however, Jim has an extreme desire to see students experience theatre and learn the transformative power of the arts. He hopes to see you in class!" Note that the internet domains mentioned in this bio all appear to be defunct.
