Father Behind Earlier Tim Ryan Allegations Speaks Publicly

A Coweta County father whose family previously spoke anonymously with The Citizen about former teacher and County Commission candidate Tim Ryan has now publicly identified himself, saying the newspaper’s earlier reporting accurately reflected his family’s experience.

Justin Boyd appeared in an unedited video interview released June 12 by local videographer Chad Reid. During the nearly 47-minute interview, Boyd discussed incidents involving his daughter while she was a student in Ryan’s science class at Smokey Road Middle School and explained why he decided to speak publicly.

When asked about The Citizen’s previous reporting, which included interviews with Boyd’s wife and daughter, Boyd offered an unequivocal endorsement.

“1,000% accurate,” Boyd said.

“This is about children”

Throughout the interview, Boyd repeatedly emphasized that his decision to speak was not about politics or the ongoing County Commission race.

“This is about children, that’s it,” Boyd said. “This isn’t about elections. This isn’t about data centers. This is about kids.”

Boyd said his family initially noticed behavior they considered unusual, including what he described as direct communications with students and attempts by Ryan to position himself as a friend rather than an authority figure.

“We knew fairly early on that something was a little off,” Boyd said.

As the school year progressed, Boyd said his family’s concerns grew. He alleged that Ryan made inappropriate comments to his daughter, encouraged students to attend activities outside of school without parents present, and cultivated unusually personal relationships with some students.

“Our radar had been up,” Boyd said.

Incidents previously documented in personnel records

Several of the incidents Boyd discussed were previously documented in the 152-page personnel file obtained by The Citizen through open records requests and reported months before Ryan launched his campaign for County Commission.

Among them was an incident in which Boyd said Ryan took his daughter into a closet connecting two classrooms after she became upset about a breakup with a boyfriend.

According to Boyd, his daughter later told her parents that Ryan attempted to comfort her and compared her favorably to another girl involved in the breakup.

“What he told her was that if he was her age, he would date her over the other girl that that boy left her for,” Boyd said.

Boyd said the incident became the turning point that prompted his family to intensify complaints with school officials.

“We immediately started contacting the school,” Boyd said.

Boyd also discussed another incident that appeared in district records and was previously reported by The Citizen.

According to Boyd, Ryan pressed his face against a classroom window and pretended to kiss the glass while sarcastically repeating accusations that had been raised against him.

“He admitted to this as well. It’s in the documents,” Boyd said. “Pressing his face onto the glass of the window and making out with the glass, and telling students in his class that, ‘Oh, I’m a pedophile. Oh, I’m a pedophile.'”

Boyd said he viewed the incident as an attempt to mock or antagonize students after concerns about Ryan’s conduct had been reported.

“He’s antagonizing my daughter, by the way, when he’s doing this,” Boyd said.

Complaints to school officials and police

Boyd said his family pursued complaints through multiple channels, including school administrators, district officials, school resource officers, and law enforcement.

“We absolutely talked to the police,” Boyd said.

According to Boyd, investigators told the family that many of the allegations involved situations without witnesses or physical evidence, making criminal prosecution difficult.

“It was basically no evidence,” Boyd said. “It’s a he said, she said.”

Boyd said his family’s primary goal was protecting their children and preventing future students from experiencing similar situations.

“We had a moral obligation to do something,” Boyd said. “How many more children are going to come through this man’s classroom?”

Impact on his daughter

Much of Boyd’s interview focused on the impact he believes the experience had on his daughter.

He described a student who became withdrawn, struggled academically, and experienced anxiety during and after the events.

“It was like suddenly just having a different kid in the house that wasn’t your kid anymore,” Boyd said.

Boyd said his daughter is now doing well academically and socially, but the experience remains difficult for the family.

He said he discussed the interview with his daughter before agreeing to appear on camera and that she supported his decision.

“She wanted me to come talk,” Boyd said. “She doesn’t want him to just get to say what he wants and paint all of his victims as if they’re just these misunderstandings.”

Appeal to voters

Near the conclusion of the interview, Boyd directly addressed voters in Coweta County Commission District 3.

Boyd noted that he does not live in the district and said he has no connection to Ryan’s opponent or any political campaign.

“I would just beg the people of District Three to not elect this person,” Boyd said.

The full unedited interview conducted by Reid has been published online and is available for public viewing on Facebook at this link. This article utilizing his interview and posting Chad Reid’s link is by permission. The Citizen encourages readers to watch the whole video.