Tag: TEACHERS
Student, teacher charged with sex crime plan to be together once he’s 18
A teacher’s aide at a high school in Washington state had sex with a 17-year-old boy who told deputies the two plan to be together once he turns 18, authorities said.
Wendy Wagoner, a 49-year-old paraprofessional at Graham Kapowsin High School in Pierce County, was charged Thursday with first-degree sexual misconduct with a minor and communication with a minor for immoral purposes after a school employee caught her kissing the teen last month, according to charging documents obtained by the Tacoma News Tribune.
Wagoner, who oversaw the teen’s specialized educated plan, later resigned from her job after the district launched an investigation into the allegation, saying she “did not deserve” the probe, records show.
The teen, meanwhile, told deputies that he and Wagoner planned to be together romantically once he turns 18, according to charging documents.
“She is my everything,” the teen said — although both he and Wagoner denied having a sexual relationship.
The teen even used his cellphone to search for the legal age of consent in Washington, as well as possible penalties for a student-teacher relationship, the newspaper reports.
The age of consent in Washington state is 16, but there are several exceptions, including when sex acts occur between a teacher and a student. The state Supreme Court has ruled that the law applies to students up to the age of 21.
Investigators also found explicit text messages between Wagoner and the teen, including some sent during school hours.
“I knew what I was doing was wrong, and I’m beating myself up really bad right now,” Wagoner told detectives.
Pierce County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Scott Peters told KIRO that Wagoner told the teen to delete any record of messages they exchanged. Peters said several messages show that they had a sexual relationship, but Wagoner was not charged with raping the teen because he was 17 when the alleged contact occurred.
“For a child rape charge, you need a child under the age of 16,” Peters told the station.
Wagoner also ignored orders by detectives to stay away from the student multiple times, instead opting to use different phones to continue communicating with the teen. A neighbor later reported seeing her hugging the teen last week, deputies said.
Wagoner, of Spanaway, has pleaded not guilty. She was released from Pierce County Jail after posting $50,000 bail, online records show. She could not be reached for comment Friday.
Photo Credit: nypost.com
Where teachers can get free food and discounts for Teacher Appreciation Week May 6-10
Article via USAToday
Businesses want to show teachers a little love.
For Teacher Appreciation Week, which kicks off Monday, some restaurants are offering free meals, buy-one-get-one free deals and discounts.
The biggest freebie day for educators is Tuesday, Teacher Appreciation Day, also called National Teachers Day.
And teachers won’t be the only ones being recognized. National Nurses Week also starts Monday and goes through May 12.
Dates of the offers and participation can vary by location. To be on the safe side, always check with your closest location before heading out. Also, some will require you to have a restaurant’s app or be signed up for emails.
These offers also require teachers to show a school ID.
May deals: Where to get free food and other discounts this month
Not impossible: More plant-based items are now available at restaurants
Some offers vary by location. Remember, to call ahead to confirm.
Arby’s: Some locations are giving teachers and school administrators with ID a free sandwich Tuesday.
Bruegger’s Bagels: The bagel restaurant is giving all teachers a free medium drip or iced coffee with any purchase and valid ID Monday through Friday.
Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen: From Monday through Friday, teachers dining in can get a free appetizer with the purchase of an adult entree. No coupon is needed.
Chick-fil-A: There’s not a nationwide promotion but select locations are offering teachers a deal Tuesday and some locations are celebrating for a week. Either call your closest location or search individual restaurant’s Facebook page.
Chipotle: Teachers, faculty and other school staff with a valid school ID can take advantage of a buy-one-get-one free offer from 3 p.m. to close Tuesday. The deal is on burritos, bowls, salads and orders of tacos and for in-restaurant orders only and available for educators at all levels. Learn more at www.chipotle.com/teachers.
Cicis: Teachers and school staff get a free adult buffet Tuesday for National Teacher Appreciation Day with a valid school ID and a coupon.
Cotton Patch Café: Teachers who show their teacher ID “or spirit” get 20% off Monday through Friday.
Duffy’s Sports Grill: Teachers get a $10 MVP Bonus loaded directly onto their MVP accounts during Teachers Appreciation Week Monday through Friday when they show their faculty ID badge. Sign up for the MVP program at www.duffysmvp.com/mvp.
Giordano’s: From Monday through Thursday, Giordano’s is offering 20% off any order with the code 656-263-214. The offer is dine-in and online and for both nurses and teachers.
The Greene Turtle: Teachers get a free $14 meal Tuesday with a valid school ID. Dine-in only.
Grimaldi’s Pizzeria: Teachers get a 15% discount Monday through Friday with their ID on dine-in and takeout orders. Not valid in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Also, through May 10, nominate a teacher to win a pizza party at www.grimaldispizzeria.com/teachers. Winning teachers will be announced May 31.
Hopdoddy Burger Bar: Teachers get a free small shake Tuesday when they show their school ID.
Jeremiah’s Italian Ice: Teachers and educational staff get a free small menu item Tuesday with a valid school ID.
Luna Grill: All teachers get 20% off any order with school ID Monday through Saturday.
McAlister’s Deli: Teachers get a free McAlister’s Deli Sweet Tea during Teacher Appreciation Week, Monday through Friday with a valid school ID.
McDonald’s: Not a nationwide deal, but RetailMeNot reports some McDonald’s are offering a free chicken McNuggets meal to teachers with a valid ID.
Metro Diner: From Monday through Friday, teachers and school faculty members get 20% off their check.
MOD Pizza: On Tuesday, teachers get a buy-one-get-one free deal on MOD-size pizza or salads with their school IDs on in-store orders.
MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes: Teachers text TEACH to 97455 and get a coupon for a free burger with purchase of fries and a drink or shake to redeem on Wednesday. School ID must be presented at ordering for this dine-in offer.
Nando’s PERi-PERi: Teachers get a free flame-grilled chicken meal Tuesday at all 42 U.S. restaurants.
PDQ: Teachers get 50% off your entire order with a valid ID Tuesday.
Pei Wei: From Monday through Friday, teachers get 33% off regular entrees when they present their teacher ID. This offer is only for in-restaurant purchases.
Pluckers Wing Bar: Teachers get a free appetizer and half-price glasses of wine Friday.
Potbelly Sandwich Shop: All teachers get a buy-one-get-one offer Monday through Sunday, May 12.
Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers: From 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, teachers and faculty get one free Box Combo when they present current school IDs.
Roy Rogers Restaurants: Teachers with a valid teacher ID get a free milkshake or dessert with any purchase Monday through Friday.
Salata Salad Kitchen: Teachers get a buy-one-get-one free offer Friday, May 10, on salads and wraps when they show their valid school ID. Teacher must be present and the free salad or wrap must be of equal or lesser value.
Scooter’s Coffee: Teachers get half off any drink Monday when they show proof.
Slim Chickens: With valid school IDs Tuesday, students and teachers get a 20% discount and a free cookie with dine-in and drive-thru orders.
Sonic Drive-In: This Teacher Appreciation Month deal is for teachers and “those who appreciate them as much as Sonic does,” the fast-food chain says. From Tuesday through May 31, get a free Route 44 drink or slush with purchase when ordering on the restaurant’s app with promo code TEACHERS. Download the app at www.sonicdrivein.com/app.
More deals: Some smaller chains and locally-owned businesses also will have deals for teachers. One of the easiest ways to find specials is by checking social media accounts.
Harlem teacher accused of lewd conversations with 18 students
A former Harlem charter school teacher allegedly had lewd communications with at least 18 students, claiming he did it “to be the cool teacher,” according to prosecutors and court papers.
Jeffery Bryant, 25, was busted in March for asking a student for a threesome, sending two other girls sex videos and sexting a fourth teen.
But ADA Melanie Soberal said Wednesday in Manhattan Supreme Court that the charged conduct is just the tip of the iceberg.
“Since the defendant’s arrest, approximately 18 students have reported receiving inappropriate communications from him, and we’re continuing to investigate that,” Soberal said.
Bryant — who was formerly a middle school history and music teacher at Democracy Prep Endurance — pleaded not guilty Wednesday to five counts of disseminating indecent material to minors and endangering the welfare of a child.
He’d only been at the school for seven months when he was fired in March for sending explicit photos and videos to students as young as 13.
In an interview with cops, he allegedly confessed and said, “I did it to be the cool teacher.”
He allegedly admitted, “I sent male and female pornography and twerking videos. I spoke to them about their personal lives and relationships and told them about my past sexual experiences.”
Defense lawyer Melanie Dearth asked Justice Curtis Farber to lower his bail from $50,000 bond to $10,000.
But Soberal successfully countered that Bryant is unemployed, no longer lives with his wife and is a flight risk.
DA Cy Vance Jr. released a statement urging other victims to come forward.
“As alleged, Jeffery Bryant took advantage of his position as a middle school history teacher to send graphic videos and messages to children in his care,” Vance said. “If you or someone you know has been a victim of abuse, I urge you to call our Child Abuse Unit at 212-335-4308.”
via: https://nypost.com/2019/05/02/harlem-teacher-accused-of-lewd-conversations-with-18-students/
Photo Credit: Facebook
A Missouri teacher is accused of hiring a hitman to kill a 10-year-old boy he allegedly molested
Deonte Taylor, 36, and his boyfriend Michael Johnson, 66, pleaded not guilty to multiple charges in a St. Louis court on Wednesday, KSDK reported.
Taylor was busted in November after his DNA was found to match samples found on his former student.
He’s facing three charges of first-degree statutory sodomy related to the accusation that he took the then-7-year-old boy from class at an elementary school where he worked as a teacher’s assistant in 2015, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
Court papers said he took the boy to another room, where the boy performed oral sex on him, KSDK reported.
The boy reported the alleged attack right away, but the investigation lingered after the detective on the case left the department, and charges were not immediately filed.
In the meantime, Taylor got his teaching certificate, and was hired as a teacher by a different school district. He passed a series of background checks despite the open case in his prior district, and was working at a different elementary school when he was arrested, the station reported. That district alerted families about the accusations at Taylor’s former school after he was nabbed.
Investigators said in February, Taylor met a fellow inmate and arranged to have him kill the boy — and his mother — when that inmate was released. The man instead became a confidential informant for the police, the outlet reported.
Meanwhile, Taylor then talked to Johnson, whom he lived with before he was busted, and allegedly convinced Johnson to pay for the hit, the station reported. Court papers say Johnson paid the man.
Taylor and Johnson were charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit murder and two counts of attempting to tamper with a victim in a felony prosecution.
via: https://nypost.com/2019/04/20/teacher-accused-of-hiring-hitman-on-student-he-allegedly-molested/
Substitute teacher who admitted sex with boys gets no jail time
A former substitute teacher in Louisiana who pleaded guilty to having sex with three boys will be spared jail time, thanks to a plea deal.
Heidi M. Verrett, 34, pleaded guilty on March 22 to three misdemeanor counts of carnal knowledge of a juvenile and one count of contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile after her 2016 arrest on charges of having sex with three 15- and 16-year-old boys at her home, the Houma Courier reported.
District Judge John Walker suspended Verrett’s six-month jail term following her guilty pleas, sentencing the former Terrebonne Parish substitute teacher and teacher’s aide to two years of unsupervised probation, along with $900 in fines.
The plea agreement also prohibits Verrett from teaching for two years, but prosecutors said she won’t be instructing students in Terrebonne Parish or other districts for the rest of her life.
“We have been assured she would never be able to teach in the school system again,” Terrebonne Parish Assistant District Attorney Dennis Elfert said. “From a legal standpoint, the maximum probationary period is two years, and that is the extent to which the probation can legally be bound.”
Regardless of those requirements, Elfert said prosecutors told relatives of the teen victims that Verrett would not be allowed to return to a classroom.
Verrett’s attorney, Teresa King, said her client was pleased with the outcome.
“She wanted to avoid the risk of jail time,” King told the newspaper. “If we had gone to trial, there’s always that risk. So I think the deal was worked out in everyone’s best interest.”
Police in Houma said Verrett also had “inappropriate” discussions with a 12-year-old boy on social media.
Verrett was charged with having sex with the teens during a two-month period in late 2016, according to court records cited by WDSU. As part of her plea deal, Verrett does not have to register as a sex offender, the station reported.
And although Verrett’s employment will not be restricted once her probation expires, Elfert said it’s very unlikely she’d be hired by another district.
“Anybody who might want to hire this woman in the future, especially when it involves kids, is going to see that on her record,” Elfert told the Houma Courier. “I would suggest there won’t be many school systems at all that would hire her.”
via: https://nypost.com/2019/04/03/substitute-teacher-who-admitted-sex-with-boys-gets-no-jail-time/
Florida Substitute teacher dumps poop on party in revenge against principal
This substitute teacher in Florida really wanted the principal to eat sh-t.
Heather Carpenter, a sub at Phillippi Shores Elementary School, will be arraigned Friday for allegedly sabotaging the principal’s party at a Sarasota park by dumping human feces on the grills and tables, news station WWSB reported.
Police said 42-year-old Carpenter was angry over a complaint she filed at school and wanted revenge on the principal.
The sub allegedly was witnessed in rubber gloves and a face mask around 6:30 a.m. Dec. 1 at Urfer Park putting fecal matter around the pavilion, which was reserved for the birthday party of the principal’s 6-year-old daughter.
Officers spoke to the principal who explained she had an ongoing dispute with a substitute teacher, who taught her daughter’s class. The detectives went to the home of Carpenter, who allegedly confessed to the act of revenge, officials said.
She told officers she flung the poop around the pavilion because she was upset over how a complaint she filed at school was being handled and wanted to disrupt the birthday festivities.
Carpenter was arrested Dec. 7 on suspicion of criminal mischief. She was released the next day on $2,500 bond, according to court records.
Photo Credit: Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office
Teacher suspended after student wore KKK outfit in class for presentation
A teacher in Missouri has been suspended after a student dressed up as a member of the Ku Klux Klan as part of a history class presentation, district officials said.
A ninth-grader at Poplar Bluff High School dressed as a member of the KKK on Friday as students in an American history class made presentations pertaining to amendments to the US Constitution. The student in question, wearing a white robe and hood, was part of a group assigned to the 15th Amendment — guaranteeing voting rights regardless of race or color, KFVS reports.
District officials have since suspended the teacher as an investigation continues, but they don’t believe the student was acting with intent to offend or discriminate against other students, according to the station.
“There’s no context for this,” Poplar Bluff School District Superintendent Scott Dill told KFVS. “There’s no point at which anyone in our public school system is going to say that this is OK. It is very obvious that this can’t happen in any setting anywhere, and so we will do our best to ensure that we do what we do best, which is education.”
District officials will now take steps to ensure teachers are providing “age-appropriate historical context” on key topics in a responsible manner.
“And we will make sure that our students, our teachers and our community understand the context, understand what is acceptable and what will never be acceptable,” Dill continued.
A letter of apology was sent by the unidentified teacher and read to students early Monday, KFVS reports.
“I made a mistake on Friday during our skit assignment,” the teacher wrote. “I let a student wear an inappropriate costume that was unacceptable and hurt many people’s feelings. As the professional in the room, I should have known better. I am sorry.”
The teacher’s apology continued: “I am so sorry for making this mistake, and I hope that you can forgive me and we can work through this together. I understand that healing and forgiveness take time, and I am absolutely okay with that.”
It wasn’t long before a photograph of the teen dressed as a Klansman soon began circulating on social media Friday. A former student who graduated from the school last year shared a Facebook post depicting the student but she had not been in the classroom at the time, the Springfield News-Leader reports.
“I’ve never ever heard of a history teacher who said it was okay to use a KKK costume for a project,” graduate Brianna Anthony told the newspaper. “Because when people walk into that classroom and see that uniform, that’s automatically a red flag.”
Costumes weren’t a part of history classes during her time at Poplar Bluff, Anthony said.
“We just got in group projects and did, like, reports,” she told the newspaper. “We used costumes in English, going over stories.”
via: https://nypost.com/2018/11/13/teacher-suspended-after-student-wore-kkk-outfit-in-class/
Teacher commits suicide in classroom during school hours
A Texas middle school teacher committed suicide in his classroom Monday while school was in session, officials said.
A staff member at Wessendorff Middle School in Rosenberg found fine arts teacher Jordan Halane unconscious. He was rushed to a local hospital, where he later died, ABC reported.
The school district believes it was the teacher’s intent to harm himself, though they did not provide any details on his cause of death.
The district said students were not in danger and no weapons were found on the campus. They noted that Halane’s classroom was in a portion of the campus not directly accessible to students.
Following the tragic discovery, students were placed on hold in their classrooms. The school notified parents of the supposed suicide before notifying students.
“Our focus is always on the safety and well-being of our students. We felt that you should be aware of the situation in case your child comes home with questions or concerns,” the school’s principal, Sonya Sanzo, said in an email to parents.
The school said counselors would be available to speak with students or teachers throughout the week.
According to Halane’s Facebook page, he was married in 2016.
via: https://nypost.com/2018/11/07/teacher-commits-suicide-in-classroom-during-school-hours-officials/
Mom goes after ‘fight club’ day care
A Missouri mom claims her 4-year-old son was a victim of a “fight club” held at a St. Louis day care center — and that little has been done over the past two years to hold the teachers accountable.
Nicole Merseal shared shocking footage of brawls that she said involved her young son and claimed that teachers Mickala Guliford and Tena Dailey egged on the fights at Adventure Learning Center. She sued the facility in December 2016.
Guliford admitted to allowing the fighting, but said she merely meant it to be a “stress release exercise.”
Merseal said her 10-year-old son, who was with his older classmates in another room, filmed the incident through a window on his iPad after he saw his brother crying. He then texted his mother the video. Teachers were accused of forcing the younger boy to participate in three fights, Q13 Fox reported.
The newly released footage shows a teacher giving each child “hulk hands” before watching them wrestle one another to the floor. Merseal’s younger son wipes his tears away on the sidelines.
“My son was very afraid,” Merseal told ABC News.
“He didn’t understand why his best friends beat him up. These are children that he’s been around for a couple years. He described them as his best friends. He just doesn’t understand why they punched him in the face … I don’t know any parent that could watch their children go through this and not be upset.”
The fight occurred two years ago, but Merseal doesn’t think the teachers were held accountable enough for their actions. The teachers were fired but neither of them faced charges.
“I want them to be held accountable and I don’t want this to happen to any other child,” Merseal said.
Merseal also is seeking $25,000 in damages from the pre-school.
Inspectors visited the pre-school eight times since the incident and accounted for 26 violations.
One of those occurred in March 2018, when an inspector noticed a caregiver drag a 3-year-old by the arm. The pre-school director reportedly was in the room and did not respond.
via: https://nypost.com/2018/10/31/mom-goes-after-fight-club-day-care/
Middle-aged teacher called 11-year-old student her ‘boyfriend’: records
In a shocking case of twisted misconduct, a 41-year-old Bronx public-school teacher doted romantically on a fifth-grader — calling the 11-year-old her “boyfriend,” records show.
“As long as without sex, I think its(sic) legal,” teacher Yi Chen Cheng told a friend on Facebook, investigators found.
A Department of Education teacher for 16 years, Cheng taught music at PS 1 Courtlandt, a pre-K to 5th grade school in Mott Haven.
According to investigative reports and disciplinary records, Cheng sent the fifth-grader messages adorned with heart emojis, told him often, “I love you,” and expressed jealousy of his girlfriends.
With a phone she bought for him, they exchanged 563 texts and engaged in video chats at odd hours, chatting about kid stuff like basketball, going to the mall, and dating.
Cheng is one of two teachers recently fired after disturbing Facebook messages and texts came to light, reports by the city’s Special Commissioner of Investigation reveal.
In the other case, Dennis Colon, 46, a teacher at Mott Haven Village Preparatory HS in the Bronx, texted a student while driving in June 2017: “I f–king WISH you were my girlllllllllll,” the SCI reports.
Colon quickly texted other sheepish remarks, including, “Ugh should I have shut the f- -k up???” Moments later he texted: “Just got into an accident,” and sent a photo of his wrecked mini-van. “Waiting for a f–king Uber right now.”
The girl turned in screenshots. Records over three months showed 680 texts from Colon to her phone, and 350 from her to him. Confronted with his vulgar words, Colon claimed he was “drunk” at the time, quickly realized “it was a mistake,” and apologized. The DOE fired him.
In Cheng’s case, the boy told probers that his teacher never engaged in sexual behavior with him. The NYPD and Bronx District Attorney’s Office did not file criminal charges.
But a disciplinary hearing officer, Timothy Taylor, terminated Cheng, calling her conduct “particularly shocking.”
Records show her estranged husband, who shared a Facebook password, was stunned to discover a trove of notes between Cheng and the pre-teen boy.
“Don’t use me as a bargaining chip for your gf [girlfriend],” Cheng allegedly wrote in June 2017. “This is the second time that you are telling everyone what I told you. Do you think it’s a joke. Or you think I am a joke? You hurt me again. And this is what you should tell everyone from now, including your gf: I don’t love you, I don’t. Goodnight.”
The student replied, “Woow first I ain’t tell anybody about u. …”
Cheng then added, “I feel you are using me to get her jealous. And that hurts because you care about her feelings more than my feeling. And don’t you know how much I love you through everything?”
Cheng, who has a 5-year-old son, sent a photo of the student to a Facebook friend, calling him her “boyfriend,” reports state.
She confided she “fell for someone that [she] shouldn’t fall for. [M]aybe because we are meant to be … we know what each other wants without even saying a word … we don’t even fight. … I feel connected to him.”
Cheng, who did not testify or return a message from The Post, now works for the Piano School of NYC in Manhattan. She gives piano lessons in the homes of students under age 10 with a parent present, a spokeswoman said.
via: https://nypost.com/2018/10/20/middle-aged-teacher-called-11-year-old-student-her-boyfriend-records/