A social studies teacher at John Stark Regional High School resigned in March amid a police investigation into his relationships with female students.
John Stark Principal Chris Corkery sent an email to parents Tuesday reporting that the teacher’s resignation was accepted by the school board at its April meeting. The teacher was placed on paid administrative leave in December, shortly after the investigation began.
The Monitor is not identifying the 28-year-old teacher because he has not been charged with a crime.
In December, the school received a complaint that the teacher was suspected of using his work-issued laptop “inappropriately,” according to SAU 24 Community Outreach Coordinator Patti Osgood. The school conducted its own investigation, sending the computer to the SAU’s IT department to conduct a technical analysis. No inappropriate or criminal content was found.
“We did an investigation on our school laptop that was issued to the teacher – that is what we do anytime there is a complaint,” said SAU 24 Superintendent Lorraine Tacconi-Moore. “Nothing was there, so we had nothing to do.”
Within a week of the school’s internal investigation, Weare police received a separate complaint about the teacher and opened an investigation. At that point, Tacconi-Moore contacted the SAU’s legal counsel.
“They advised we let the police do its investigation and to pull back,” she said.
Weare police Chief Sean Kelly said the school did not hinder the investigation by not reporting the complaint to police immediately.
Two officers visited the school to meet with Corkery and the teacher in December after receiving the complaint. According to the police report, Corkery informed the officers “an intensive 24-hour investigation” had already been completed and “there was no reason to move forward.”
Corkery disputed that characterization by police Wednesday and called it inaccurate. He told the Monitor he felt the school’s investigation was concluded and he was “thankful (the police) looked into it.”
“We investigated the school equipment . . . and found nothing inappropriate,” he said.
After a short meeting with Corkery, police interviewed the teacher at the school and recorded the conversation. He did not have a lawyer present.
The teacher admitted to downloading a Facebook profile picture of a female student in a dress. He told police she was 14 or 15 years old, according to the report.
“When asked why he would download the photo, he indicated that it was due to her being attractive,” the report said.
The report said the teacher admitted later in the interview to downloading pictures of multiple female students from social media and masturbating “once or twice” to the photographs. According to the report, he told police he had “hidden files within his phone and personal computer,” but had deleted “some files from both.”
The teacher, according to the report, said the girls did not know he had downloaded pictures of them, but he did email one saying “she looked very pretty in the dress.” He then realized “that he was being inappropriate so he told her to delete the messages.”
He later told police he rubbed a female student’s back during a school dance, but made a distinction that he “rubbed her back up high and did not think he rubbed her down low.”
The teacher allowed police to search his personal computer and phone, where they found no incriminating content.
The investigation was suspended earlier this week due to lack of evidence. Kelly said it will be reopened if new information surfaces.
In his letter to parents, Corkery wrote that the district would take no further action because the school board had already accepted the teacher’s resignation. Corkery did not name the teacher.
“It is a hallmark of our society to regard all members as innocent until proven guilty,” Corkery wrote, “but we must balance that core value with the paramount obligation for safeguarding your children while they are in our care.”
(Nick Stoico can be reached at 369-3309, nstoico@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @NickStoico.)