daVinci Institute

“Former da Vinci Institute teacher sentenced to five to 20 years inprison.” MLive.com (MI), 8/22/2012

JACKSON, MI – A former da Vinci Institute teacher is going to prison for five to 20 years for having a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old student.

Jackson County Circuit Judge John McBain sentenced Matthew Lusby, 28, Wednesday morning for first-degree criminal sexual conduct.

Lusby pleaded guilty to the charge in July.He admitted to having oral sex with the girl early this year. She was then a student of Lusby, who worked as a math teacher at the public charter school in Summit Township...

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“Former da Vinci teacher pleads guilty to first-degree criminal sexualconduct.” MLive.com (MI), 7/24/2012

JACKSON, MI – A former da Vinci Institute teacher who had a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old student pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a single count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct...

Da Vinci hired Lusby in the summer of 2009. He resigned on Feb. 23 to take a substitute teaching position at another school, but did not reach an agreement with the other district.

When hired, Lusby passed a criminal background check.

This is his first brush with the law, Rezmierski said.

At da Vinci, Lusby was told he needed to improve classroom control and a “passive aggressive nature toward students,” and once had to apologize for throwing a referees flag at a football game.

Last fall, the principal and superintendent told him he should not be giving the girl a ride to school, especially when alone...

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EPIC Academy Charter School

“Ex-basketball coach pleads not guilty to sex assault, wants lower bond.”FOX32, 3/12/2013

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“Bond set for coach accused of student sex assault.” WLS-TV (IL), 1/25/2013

January 25, 2013 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- Bond has been set at $500,000 for a basketball coach at EPIC Academy Charter School in Chicago accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old student he offered a ride home.

Police say Kevin Jones, 33, was giving the victim a ride home from school when he assaulted her in the car. He had also given a second girl a ride home, but she left before the alleged assault took place, police said.

Jones, who is a husband and a father of two, faces two counts of criminal sex assault, and one count of attempted criminal sexual assault. He coached the varsity boys basketball team.

He has been suspended from EPIC...

"There were other instances of inappropriate incidences by the coach," [Brad Cosgrove, victim's attorney] said...

Jones also worked as a physical education teacher at LEARN Charter Schoolon the South Side. On Friday, he was fired from that job...

Jones is the process of getting his master's degree and is a deacon at his church...

An attorney for EPIC Charter School said the school is cooperating with police and prosecutors. The South Side charter school opened in 2009...

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Quest Academy (Utah)

“Former teacher to stand trial for sex abuse of student.” ABC4 (UT), 5/14/2013

FARMINGTON Utah (ABC 4 Utah) - A high school teacher will stand trial for sexually abusing a student.

Steve Niedzwiecki was fired from his teaching position at a charter school in West Haven...

Niedzwiecki was charged with eight counts of forcible sodomy, two counts of forcible sexual abuse and attempted rape.

Niedzwiecki was a former teacher and basketball coach at Quest Academy and Jefferson Academy. He was terminated from his teaching position at Quest Academy after he was charged in December.

The victim says she befriended the teacher and worked on a project together. But according to the probable cause statement, the girl and the teacher were trading emails and text messaging. In court she testified that their relationship turned physical and became sexual. She claimed Niedzwiecki promised to marry her after their relationship turned sexual.

"He was a trusted teacher, a coach and was very manipulative," said the victim's aunt Kathy Carver...

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YMCA Young Leaders Academy

“Milwaukee educator Ronn Johnson faces new child sex abuse charges.” Journal Sentinel (WI), 8/12/2013

An ex-charter school leader in Milwaukee now faces 23 criminal charges related to the alleged sexual abuse of five children of varying ages from 1991 through last month, according to a revised criminal complaint filed Monday.

Ronn Johnson, 46, who appeared Monday in Milwaukee County Circuit Court for his preliminary hearing, had first been charged with 14 felony counts alleging he assaulted three brothers, now ages 16 to 18, who were former students. Two men have come forward since the initial July 31 charges with abuse allegations, the new complaint states.

Johnson, of Brown Deer, was vice president of education for the Midwest region for Universal Companies, a nonprofit charter-school management company from Pennsylvania that is expanding into Milwaukee. He was fired after his arrest.

Johnson also was the administrator at YMCA Young Leaders Academy, a charter school, and had taught at Lee Elementary School in Milwaukee.

The criminal complaint describes a pattern in which Johnson would single out children — he called them his "godsons" and asked them to call him their "godfather" — and invite them to his residence where he would engage in inappropriate touching...

Assistant District Attorney Sara B. Lewis asked that the bail remain because of the "very significant and sizable" case against Johnson, who is facing multiple counts of forcibly sexually assaulting children.

Lewis added that prosecutors have "a strong belief there will be additional victims."...

Brown Deer police identified two additional victims from the letters the victims had written to Johnson from prison...

The assaults began in 1997 when the man was 8 years old and continued until 2001, according to the complaint...

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Marcus Garvey Leadership Charter School (Oklahoma)

“Charter school teacher accused of molesting student.” KOCO (OK), 2/26/2013

OKLAHOMA CITY —A teacher at a charter school in Oklahoma City has been accused of molesting a 14-year-old student, according to court documents.

Pascal Wayne Jones, 42, of Edmond, has been charged with 10 counts of forcible oral sodomy, five counts of rape by instrumentation and 10 counts of lewd acts with a child under 16 years old.

The girl told Oklahoma City police detectives that the molestation started in Nov. 2011 when Jones "touched her breasts" while she was a student at the Marcus Garvey Leadership Charter School located at 1537 NE 24th St.

The victim told detectives that she performed several sexual acts on Jones until May 2012.

During the course of the investigation, detectives said, Jones was arrested on suspicion of stalking the victim at her new high school.

According to court documents, the charter school's principal held a meeting with staff to discuss the allegations in 2012. Police also conducted a failure-to-protect investigation into the school...

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“Oklahoma City School Board votes to close charter school.” The Oklahoman (OK), 5/13/2013

... District administrators allege poor academics and financial mismanagement. An attorney for the school said that's not the case. Both sides called foul on the other's interpretation of test scores...

Hunt presented state testing numbers comparing Marcus Garvey to the other charter schools with similar demographics. Some numbers were similar, but others were drastically different...

Kwame Mumina, an attorney speaking on behalf of Marcus Garvey, said the statistics weren't fair...

School officials don't follow state law when it comes to tracking and paying for school expenses, said Jean Bostwick, a controller in the district finance department.

The school district was paying for meals at the school, but the school was also receiving federal funds for those same meals.

Instead of using the federal funds to pay the school district back, the school kept the money. When district officials pointed out the problem, the school eventually paid it all back. But it didn't have all $92,000 on hand.

Board member Phil Horning said that points to misspending...

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Martin Behrman Charter School

“Algiers school coach, accused of statutory rape, now faces more serious allegation.”The Times-Picayune (LA), 2/6/2013

An Algiers elementary school coach accused last week of the statutory rape of a studentis now facing a more serious allegation. Police suspect that Frank Norris, 23, began abusing the unidentified student in April 2010, when she was 11 and in the sixth grade
; detectives booked him Tuesday with one count of aggravated rape, which is punishable upon conviction by mandatory life imprisonment.

According to court papers, the coach and academic interventionist at Martin Behrman Charter School approached the girl for the first time while she was on campus, sitting outdoors. Norris led her to the band room, took his clothes off, disrobed her and raped her, police allege...

On Jan. 30, the girl's mother called police and told officers that she had learned, by reading her daughter's diary, that her daughter was having sex with Norris. Detectives immediately interviewed the girl, and she said that she had been having consensual sex with Norris since last year's softball season at Behrman, police said.

Norris was booked that day with two counts of felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile, defined in Louisiana as a crime in which "a person who is 17 years of age or older has sexual intercourse, with consent, with a person who is 13 years of age or older but less than 17 years of age." But on Jan. 31, the girl informed police that Norris had been having sex with her for more than two years, court records state...

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New Century Academy

“Hutchinson student sex plea.” KNUJ (MN), 6/19/2013

A former staff member at a Hutchinson charter school accused of having sex with students has pleaded guilty to 2 counts of criminal sexual conduct.

29-year-old Stephen Michael Noga avoided a jury trial with the plea. He was arrested at the New Century Charter School in Hutchinson in March after the allegations surfaced. He had allegedly been having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old female student over the past two years while working in the school’s Information Technology Department. Officials say there was a sexual relationship with another student as well. Noga remains in custody in the McLeod County Jail, and his sentencing is scheduled for July 9th.

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“Hutchinson charter school employee faces sex charge.” Hutchinson Leader, (MN), 3/16/2013

A staff member of New Century Academy and New Discoveries Montessori Academy was arrested Thursday for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student for about two years...

Stephen Michael Noga, 29, of Hutchinson allegedly began the relationship when the girl was at least 16. He has been charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct by the McLeod County Attorney’s Office...

Noga was hired by the charter schools during the 2010-2011 school year as a technical integration specialist, New Discoveries Superintendent Dave Conrad said Friday. The two schools shared Noga as their information technology coordinator. Noga has been placed on paid administrative leave...

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New Designs Charter School

“New Designs Charter School teacher awaits arraignment on molestation charges.” KABC (CA), 4/27/2013

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- An arraignment date has been set for the New Designs Charter School teacher accused of molesting three girls.

Juan Cardoza, 55, is scheduled to appear in court May 15. He was arrested on Wednesday at his residence.

Cardoza has been charged with four felony counts of committing a lewd act on a child and one misdemeanor count of child molestation.

Investigators say the incidents occurred between October 2012 and March 2013. He is currently being held on $320,000 bail...

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“Willowbrook teacher accused of molesting 3 teenage girls.” Los Angeles Times (CA), 4/26/2013

Los Angeles County sheriff’s detectives arrested a 55-year-old teacher at a charter school in Willowbrook who allegedly molested three teenage girls.

The alleged incidents occurred at the New Designs Charter School between October and March, according to a sheriff’s bulletin. The girls were 14 and 15...

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New Discoveries Montessori Academy

“Hutchinson student sex plea.” KNUJ (MN), 6/19/2013

A former staff member at a Hutchinson charter school accused of having sex with students has pleaded guilty to 2 counts of criminal sexual conduct.

29-year-old Stephen Michael Noga avoided a jury trial with the plea. He was arrested at the New Century Charter School in Hutchinson in March after the allegations surfaced. He had allegedly been having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old female student over the past two years while working in the school’s Information Technology Department. Officials say there was a sexual relationship with another student as well. Noga remains in custody in the McLeod County Jail, and his sentencing is scheduled for July 9th.

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“Hutchinson charter school employee faces sex charge.” Hutchinson Leader, (MN), 3/16/2013

A staff member of New Century Academy and New Discoveries Montessori Academy was arrested Thursday for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student for about two years...

Stephen Michael Noga, 29, of Hutchinson allegedly began the relationship when the girl was at least 16. He has been charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct by the McLeod County Attorney’s Office...

Noga was hired by the charter schools during the 2010-2011 school year as a technical integration specialist, New Discoveries Superintendent Dave Conrad said Friday. The two schools shared Noga as their information technology coordinator. Noga has been placed on paid administrative leave...

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Soldier Hollow Charter School

“Ex-principal pleads guilty to sexually abusing former student.” Deseret News (UT), 4/2/2013

HEBER CITY — A former charter school principal pleaded guilty Tuesday to sexually abusing a former male student.

Charles Edward Weber, 66, pleaded guilty to two counts of forcible sodomy, a first-degree felony, in connection with the abuse of a 15-year-old boy. Four identical sodomy charges were dismissed in exchange for the man's plea. 

Weber, of South Jordan, was booked into the Washington County Jail on $1 million bail in December. The arrest came after he "admitted to sexually abusing several young boys over the past 35 years," FBI agent Jeffrey Ross wrote in a police affidavit filed in 4th District Court.

Weber had been an educator for more than 40 years, most recently as principal of the award-winning Soldier Hollow Charter School in Midway...

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Union Academy Charter School

“Fort Mill woman accused of having sex with student.” WSOCTV (NC), 9/12/2013

MONROE, N.C. A Union Academy Charter School teacher accused of having sex with a student was arrested Thursday afternoon.

Diana Swanson Farnell is charged with one count of sex offenses with a student.

Police said Farnell, 28, from Fort Mill, had sex with a 17-year-old male student...

In February, a Union Academy basketball coach was fired after he was arrested for sending in sexually inappropriate text messages to a teenage boy he met while working at a group home.

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LEARN Charter School

“Ex-basketball coach pleads not guilty to sex assault, wants lower bond.” FOX32, 3/12/2013

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“Bond set for coach accused of student sex assault.” WLS-TV (IL), 1/25/2013

(CHICAGO) (WLS) -- Bond has been set at $500,000 for a basketball coach at EPIC Academy Charter School in Chicago accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old student he offered a ride home.

Police say Kevin Jones, 33, was giving the victim a ride home from school when he assaulted her in the car. He had also given a second girl a ride home, but she left before the alleged assault took place, police said.

Jones, who is a husband and a father of two, faces two counts of criminal sex assault, and one count of attempted criminal sexual assault. He coached the varsity boys basketball team.

He has been suspended from EPIC...

"There were other instances of inappropriate incidences by the coach," [Brad Cosgrove, victim's attorney] said...

Jones also worked as a physical education teacher at LEARN Charter School on the South Side. On Friday, he was fired from that job...

Jones is the process of getting his master's degree and is a deacon at his church...

An attorney for EPIC Charter School said the school is cooperating with police and prosecutors. The South Side charter school opened in 2009...

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La Crescent Montessori Academy

“Teacher's arrest begs more questions.” La Crosse Tribune (WI), 1/31/2013

School administrators had few answers Wednesday for why Jason David Barker — a convicted felon and special-education teacher now charged with molesting his students — was able to land job after job at area charter and private schools.

Barker was director of the special-education program at La Crescent Montessori Academy until earlier this month, when several of his students confronted him at school in a plea to stop the abuse, prosecutors said...

La Crescent Montessori school administrator Tammy Stremcha declined to comment Wednesday about Barker and referred all questions to the school’s attorney, Dawn Harris.

Harris declined to comment on the school’s procedure for hiring new employees, and would not say if the school conducts background checks...

Barker’s latest charges accuse him of ongoing inappropriate relationships with at least three young girls at La Crescent Montessori Academy, offering what one described as “weird touches,” hugging, and requests they sit on his lap only after he closed the door...

According to court records, Barker was convicted in Minnesota’s Ramsey County of felony criminal damage to property in 1995, and of third-degree burglary in 1994. No further details on those crimes were available Wednesday.

He was charged in Anoka County in September 2006 with disorderly conduct and furnishing alcohol to minors, according to court records. He pleaded guilty later that year to the count of disorderly conduct, and the furnishing alcohol charge was dismissed, records show...

Barker was already working at the La Crescent Montessori Academy in May, when prosecutors say he brandished a knife, reached into a car and threatened to stab a couple he accused of cutting him off during a bicycle ride on the east end of Winona.

Barker pleaded not guilty. The school promoted him to special-education director four months later...

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Stars Middle School

“Former Stars Middle School employee accused of molesting a minor.” WTXL ABC 27 (FL), 11/28/2012

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Tallahassee police say that a former employee of a local middle school, accused of molesting a minor, may have had inappropriate contact with other children.

The woman, Rosa Lee Stephens, is listed as an employee of Stars Middle School in a police report. However, the assistant principal of the school, Mr. Ahmet Temel, says that Stephens hasn't worked there since October 1... [please see below]

Stephens is charged with Lewd and Lascivious Molestation of a Minor. She is in the Leon County Jail with a $25,000 bond. Police are concerned that she may have had inappropriate contact with other children...

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The charter school administrator denies Stephens was an employee at the time of her arrest, but the arrest document clearly shows her employer as "Stars Middle School”  https://twitter.com/CASILIPS/status/274423264493854721/photo/1

More about Florida Gulen charter schools HERE.

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Valley Academy Charter School

“Hurricane teacher arrested on sex charges.” St. George Daily Spectrum (UT), 10/30/2012

ST. GEORGE — A former violin teacher at Valley Academy Charter School in Hurricane was arrested Tuesday on four counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, a first-degree felony, following allegations made against him by four students at the school.

Lynn R. Lundstrom, 62, of Ivins, was arrested following an investigation by the Hurricane Police Department. Four students reported being touched inappropriately by Lundstrom during class...

Lundstrom was listed as a strings instructor at Valley Academy Charter School on the school’s website prior to the investigation, but that information has since been removed...

According to the probable cause statement, when Lundstrom was interviewed by Hurricane detectives regarding the allegations, Lundstrom allegedly admitted that he had, at least on one occasion, inappropriately touched a child at the school...

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Eagle Charter Academy

“Financial problems close three charter schools in Broward.” The Miami Herald (FL), 9/14/2012

Parents, students and teachers are unexpectedly scrambling to find a new school.

The abrupt end was punctuated by locked doors and silence at one school, and with a chaotic gathering of parents and students at another.

But the story at three Broward charter schools was essentially the same on Friday: financial problems had led to closure, leaving parents and students to unexpectedly scramble to find a new place to enroll.

“We should have had way more time to look for other schools for our kids,” said Nicole Williams, whose son Alfonso was a 10th-grader at Eagle Charter Academy in Lauderdale Lakes, one of the three schools now closed. Also closing this week were the nearby SMART Charter School (run by the same company as Eagle Charter), and Touchdowns4life Charter School in Tamarac, which was founded by former Miami Dolphins running back Terry Kirby.

Williams said the school sent her a notification letter on Wednesday...

Broward school district officials said Eagle and SMART shut down because of shrinking enrollment, and district spokeswoman Tracy Clark said Touchdowns4life’s closure was due to “funding” issues — likely also enrollment-related, since charter schools are funded almost entirely based on the number of students who attend...

Annual audits for all three schools show deep financial troubles...

The parent company of Eagle and SMART, according to the most recent audit, owed a $1.2 million debt to the IRS for unpaid payroll taxes...

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“Three Broward County charter schools abruptly close.”Sun Sentinel (FL), 9/14/2012

Three Broward County charter schools abruptly closed this week, leaving parents scrambling and exposing a potential dark side to schools designed to be appealing alternatives to traditional public schools.

Touchdowns4Life, a financially troubled school in Tamarac founded by former Miami Dolphins running back Terry Kirby, closed its doors Tuesday. On Wednesday, Eagle Charter Academy and SMART Charter School, both operated by the same company, informed parents they would close their doors and gave parents until Friday to pick up student records...

The sudden closure of the three schools has also raised questions about who oversees them. Neither parents nor the school district, which contracts with the schools, had prior warning, said district spokeswoman Tracy Clark.

In the case of Eagle Charter Academy, its Board of Trustees was also left in the dark.

Some Eagle Charter parents said Friday the curriculum was disorganized this year and their students were doing little or no work...

Angelia Millender, who chaired the Eagle Charter board, which met about two or three times a year, said she didn't get into the daily operations of the school.

She said it didn't even have the authority to hire or fire the principal, which was the responsibility of TechEdventures, a private charter school company, which operated Eagle Academy and SMART Charter School...

... "If (problems) were happening, maybe they were telling someone. They weren't telling board members."

TechEdventures founder and CEO Edward Miller couldn't be reached for comment, despite an attempt by phone...

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“3 Broward Charter Schools Close Their Doors.” NBC Miami (FL), 9/14/2012

Three Broward charter schools closed their doors to students Friday, a day after the school board was notified of the closures...

Eagle Charter Academy has been in the news recently amid allegations former dean Jeffrey London molested at least three boys over an 18-year period. London has pleaded not guilty.

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Imagine Academy of Careers Middle School

“Former St. Louis charter school instructor charged with raping student.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 9/5/2012

ST. LOUIS • Prosecutors have charged a former St. Louis charter school instructor with raping a student last month.

Ronald C. Wilkerson, 41, of the 1200 block of North Euclid Avenue, was charged Aug. 31 with two counts of forcible rape, one count of forcible sodomy, two counts of second-degree statutory rape, one count of statutory sodomy and two counts of witness tampering.

Authorities said Wilkerson, a former instructor at one of the Imagine charter schools, twice raped and sodomized a 14-year-old girl last month and threatened to hurt or kill her family if she told anyone about it...

Wilkerson was a communication arts teacher at the Imagine Academy of Careers Middle School... The victim had attended the school.

After years of financial and academic troubles, the state education board closed Imagine's six charter schools this past spring. The public charter schools were run by the for-profit Imagine Schools Inc. and were independent of city school system.

Wilkerson was on the company's payroll through the end of July, Waters said.

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STATE OF MISSOURI  VS WILKERSON, RONALD C

http://www.circuitattorney.org/docs/Ronald%20Wilkerson.pdf

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Downtown Miami Charter School

“Lawsuit Alleges Sexual Assault At Charter School.” CBSMiami (FL), 7/2/2012

The Downtown Miami Charter School knew that a seven year-old student was being bullied and sexually abused by an 11 year-old student and failed to prevent it from recurring. That is the gist of a lawsuit filed Monday in Miami-Dade circuit court on behalf of “John Doe,” the alleged seven year-old victim...

According to the lawsuit the second grader was being bullied on the school bus, operated by Carmen Alvarez Bus Service, a private school bus company. The boy told his mother about the bullying, and she spoke to the bus driver.  The bullying continued however, according to the lawsuit, and in November, 2011, the fifth grader allegedly forced the younger boy to perform a sex act on him on the school bus...

The mother told Principal Rebecca Dinda about the incident. Dinda notified DCF and the police. The lawsuit alleges that the principal assured the mother the two boys would be separated and closely monitored.

According to the lawsuit, the bullying continued, and the younger boy was sexually abused by the older boy twice more in a school bathroom.

“A school has a duty to prevent what is called foreseeable harm from occurring to its students,” said attorney Jeffrey Herman who represents John Doe. “In this case we’re alleging that the school failed miserably.”...

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Redmond Proficiency Academy

“Redmond charter school leader accused of sexual abuse resigns. He had been in talks to open similar school in Salem.” Statesman Journal (OR), 3/26/2012

The leader of a Central Oregon charter school accused of sexually abusing a 15-year-old female student has resigned.

The Bulletin said the board of directors of Redmond Proficiency Academy accepted Michael Bremont’s resignation at a meeting Saturday.

Bremont, 39, was charged in February with sodomy, attempted rape and sexual abuse. He is scheduled to enter a plea April 9.

The school had put Bremont on paid administrative leave immediately after his Feb. 18 arrest.

Before his arrest, Bremont was in final negotiations with the Salem-Keizer School District to open a similar charter high school in Salem this fall...

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East Wake Academy

“Zebulon charter school headmaster dismissed from post.” WRAL (NC), 3/30/2012

Zebulon, N.C. — The governing board of a Zebulon charter school on Thursday evening fired the school's headmaster amid claims by two female employees that he inappropriately touched them.

The board of directors for East Wake Academy met in a closed session for more than an hour before announcing its decision to dismiss Brandon Smith from the post that he held for a decade.

Smith, who had been on paid leave since March 14, has not been charged with any crime, but Zebulon Police Chief Timothy Hayworth said that the two women filed sexual battery complaints against Smith and that investigators are still getting information about other possible victims.

Smith and his attorney, James Hairston, have denied the allegations. They had no comment Thursday evening...

Last week, police seized computers from Smith's home and office, and Hayworth said investigators are going through thousands of emails on the machines.

According to the search warrants, both employees claim that Smith inappropriately touched them, and one of the them told authorities that he solicited her for sexual acts.

One woman told investigators that Smith sent her emails about the allegations and that her work email had been reset in an attempt to keep her from accessing the messages.

The allegations aren't the first for Smith. In the late 1990s, a female teacher at Githens Middle School in Durham, where he was principal at the time, claimed he made sexually suggestive comments, kissed her and grabbed her. Smith resigned from the Durham County school system in 2000...

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