JEFFERSON COUNTY, Mo. (KTVI) – A Missouri middle school teacher accused of sending inappropriate pictures to a student is under investigation.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a 37-year-old female teacher at Ridgewood Middle School in the Fox C-6 School District. The teacher is not currently facing any charges.
KTVI asked the district about the investigation on Thursday but got no response. However, a letter was sent to parents later that afternoon.
“When I found out about it, I was pretty upset. I thought it was really disgusting,” parent Holly Burch told KTVI.
Burch said she has a son who’s a student in the school district. She said she and other parents got the letter from Superintendent Dr. Paul Fregeau saying the district has received complaints about “inappropriate behavior by a Fox C-6 employee.”
The letter reads, in part, “Out of respect for the privacy of our students and staff, and in accordance with state law and Board of Education policy, the Fox School District does not discuss specific personnel matters. However, please know that the District immediately investigates complaints of employee misconduct and takes appropriate steps in response, including removal of employees from District property and preventing future access to our schools and students.”
Burch said her son knows the student to whom the teacher was allegedly sending the photos.
“I’m glad somebody came forward because … I don’t even have the words, I don’t even know how to describe it. It’s just sickening,” Burch said.
She said her son had some of the photos on his phone as well and Burch saw some of them and said they were very inappropriate.
“The pictures I saw, it’s pretty disturbing,” Burch said. “Just like, wow. It’s just shocking. I just don’t understand.”
She added, “I’m hoping that she’s not at the school district, that she won’t be able to ever be a teacher again.”
The Fox C-6 School District would not say whether the teacher is still employed. However, the superintendent said in the letter, “Please know that the safety of Fox C-6 students and staff remains our top priority.”