A Manhattan Junior High School physical education teacher was placed on paid leave and escorted off school property following allegations of inappropriate behavior.
District spokeswoman Kimberly Maher said they had no public comment to share out of respect for the “privacy of our students” and as the “personnel matter” was ongoing.
However, Supt. Ron Pacheco emailed parents within the District a vague statement late Wednesday evening, notifying them of the action. The statement did not identify who had been placed on leave or disclose any details regarding the nature of the incident.
Parents were advised the District had become aware of “allegations a school employee had engaged in activity that did not align with Board Policy” in Pacheco’s statement.
Pacheco stated the District quickly launched an internal investigation, which resulted in the staff member being placed on leave until the District determined appropriate action following the conclusion of the investigation.
“As this is an ongoing personnel matter, we cannot offer more specific details at this time,” the statement offered as to why they were not disclosing any further information about the incident.
It was also unclear what further action could be taken as a result of the investigation or how long it was expected to take to complete.
“The safety and well-being of our children are always paramount in our District, and we will continue to remain vigilant to proactively address any concerns that are brought to our attention,” the District’s statement concluded.
On Friday afternoon, Manhattan Police Chief Ryan Gulli stated the School District had been contacted by the school district to receive assistance from the Police Department in the investigation.
Parents took to social media to share concerns relayed to them from students at the junior high. Their comments were short-lived as the administrator of the popular Facebook group “Manhappenins” quickly made a statement and turned off comments to stop rumors from circulating.
“Some kids have been coming home from MJHS with allegations about a teacher. If you have a child at the junior high, see if they have anything to tell you and reach out to the school with your questions and concerns. Until we have more information, we want to make sure false information isn’t being spread, but we also want to make sure parents know to talk to their children. -admin” the statement on “Manhappenins” read. A copy of Pacheco’s statement was included in the comment section, which was turned off for further participation.
The tight-lipped District has seen its share of public controversy in the last year and currently faces two federal sexual harassment lawsuits stemming from alleged actions by former Supt. Rusty Ragon and HR Director Chris Ruddy, who abruptly resigned last year.
Recently, it came to light in the second lawsuit filed by the District’s former Payroll and Benefits Coordinator, Susana Lukaszek, that two unnamed male Board members also were accused of sexual harassment experienced by the plaintiff.
Multiple parents came to the Board meeting to speak regarding the second lawsuit, explicitly noting the concern regarding the Board members who were accused but unnamed.
The Vedette is working to learn more about the details of the incident, the accused, and the outcome in this ongoing story.
Stephanie Irvine is a freelance reporter