Pioneer Press: An eighth-grader reported last month that a teaching assistant at her St. Paul school sent her a nude photo of himself, made comments about her leggings and her butt, and asked her to meet to “find a secluded place where they could kiss,” according to a police report about the now-fired staffer.
The girl said “she did not agree to … since it felt ‘weird’ or ‘wrong,’ ” the report said.
St. Paul police investigated the girl’s allegations, along with reports that the 23-year-old school staffer had communicated via Facebook with two other students and asked them for photos. The girls were 11, 13 and 14 years old. One is in special education “and considered a vulnerable adolescent,” a police report noted.
Jeff Anderson & Associates Note: Cases involving inappropriate communication between school staff and students often lead to investigations into whether school policies were followed and whether concerns were properly reported to authorities. Schools and youth organizations have a responsibility to report suspected abuse and protect students from harm.