JEFFERSON COUNTY, Alabama - A former John Carroll High School teacher has been charged after authorities say he was sexually involved with two teen students.

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office today announced charges against Robert Leland Grant, 26, of Gardendale. He is charged with two counts of a school employee having sexual contact with a student under 19.

Grant was arrested Monday and booked into the Jefferson County Jail. He was released after posting $11,000 bond, said Chief Deputy Randy Christian.

Sheriff's investigators launched their probe in February after they were contacted by John Carroll administrators. School officials had received information that Grant was involved with two 16-year-old students.

Investigators learned that Grant would meet the girls at separate locations away from school and engage in inappropriate sexual contact that included touching of a sexual nature and kissing. The contact with the teen girls began in May of 2013 and continued periodically until December 2013, Christian said.

A third teen girl brought the information to school administrators after the teacher made advances toward her.

Once that happened, Principal Charlie McGrath sent out an email to students and families in the system. That communication said school officials recently were made aware of "unfortunate incidents" involving two students and a teacher.

Administrators confronted the teacher and told him that they would be launching an internal investigation, and Grant resigned.

School officials contacted the Jefferson County Department of Human Resources and notified the school's attorney. The school's legal counsel, McGrath said, in turn hired private investigators who helped in the probe.

Once they determined that the allegations appeared credible, McGrath said, they contacted the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.

"The whole thing is extremely regrettable, but the school acted on the information as soon as they got it and learned it was credible,'' Frank Savage, spokesman for the Catholic Diocese of Birmingham, said at the time the investigation was launched. "The teacher resigned, or he would have been terminated."

Christian said the sheriff's office appreciates the school taking swift action in getting authorities involved in this case.

"Otherwise I think it's pretty clear other students would have fallen prey moving forward,'' Christian said. "Another career down the drain but that isn't the concern here."

"The concern is for our young people that we are entrusting to an adults care. We send them for an education,'' he said. "Thank goodness 99% of our educators understand and honor that. We are happy to help weed the others out."