A Tifton special education teacher surrendered to authorities earlier this month after being accused of assaulting students at Eighth Street Middle School, police said. Dixie Hardy, 55, faces felony and misdemeanor charges following a five-day investigation sparked by a school board complaint
What We Know: The Tift County School Board alerted police May 9 about allegations Hardy physically harmed students at the school. Hardy turned herself in May 15 and was charged with first-degree cruelty to children and simple battery. She remains jailed at the Tift County Sheriff’s Office awaiting arraignment. Georgia law defines first-degree child cruelty as maliciously causing “excessive physical or mental pain” – a felony punishable by 5-20 years in prison.
What We Don’t Know: Police have not disclosed how many students were allegedly harmed or specifics about the reported assaults.
Take Action
Anyone with information can anonymously contact Tifton PD via the tip411 system by texting TIFTONPD (space) + message to 847411 or using the department’s mobile app.
⚠️ Reminder: Crime articles contain only charges and information from police reports and law enforcement statements. Suspects and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
How to Read and Understand the News
Truth doesn’t bend because we dislike it.
Facts don’t vanish when they make us uncomfortable.
Events happen whether we accept them or not.
Good reporting challenges us. The press isn’t choosing sides — it’s relaying what official, verified sources say. Blaming reporters for bad news is like blaming a thermometer for a fever.
Americans have a history of misunderstanding simple things. In the 1980s, A&W rolled out a 1/3-pound burger to compete with McDonald’s Quarter Pounder. It failed because too many people thought 1/3 was smaller than 1/4. If we can botch basic math, we can certainly misread the news.
Before dismissing a story, ask yourself:
- What evidence backs this?
- Am I reacting to facts or feelings?
- What would change my mind?
- Am I just shooting the messenger?
And one more: Am I assuming bias just because I don’t like the story?
Smart news consumers seek truth, not comfort.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
