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Police investigating former Newaygo Co. teacher following allegations of inappropriate conduct

Posted at 9:35 PM, Dec 04, 2014
and last updated 2014-12-04 23:14:50-05

GRANT, Mich. -- A former Grant High School teacher is at the center of a police investigation following allegations of inappropriate conduct.

According to a statement from Grant Public Schools' Superintendent Jonathan Whan, the district received notice of the allegations in late November. The teacher was immediately placed on paid administrative leave due to the nature of the allegations.

Shortly after, the teacher resigned on Nov. 26.

The district did contact law enforcement and is cooperating fully with the investigation, and they ask any students or parents who might have concerns to do the same, the statement reads.

Pending the ongoing investigation, Whan declined to comment any further on the matter or the nature of the allegations to FOX 17.

Calls requesting further information from police on the matter were not immediately returned as of Thursday evening.

Read the full statement from Grant Public Schools below:

"On November 24, 2014, the District received notice of possible inappropriate conduct on the part of one of our high school teachers. Due to the nature of the allegations, we immediately placed the teacher on paid administrative leave. During our investigation, the teacher came to us with a resignation, which was accepted Wednesday November 26th early afternoon.

"Our Board policy and state law led us to contact local law enforcement for a more thorough review. We have and will continue to cooperate fully with that investigation, and ask any students or parents who may be contacted or who have any concerns, to do the same. We will work together to ensure a just and appropriate outcome for all concerned.

"As a District, we work hard to provide our students with a safe and respectful learning environment focused on the academic needs of our students, and to be fair and respectful to staff. We act immediately on these kinds of allegations as part of that commitment, while providing due process to our staff.

"These situations are difficult for all concerned. In light of the widespread use of social media, an unusual situation like this can lead to online speculation that may be inaccurate and/or unfair. As a result, we ask our school community’s help to continue our focus on students’ educational goals and not be distracted by unproductive gossip, rumors or speculation. We view this as an isolated situation, and not representative of our professional and quality teaching staff.

"The Grant Public Schools is blessed with a strong partnership between our highly qualified staff and our school community. As we enter the holiday season, we very much appreciate the dedication of our students, staff and parents to ensuring quality learning every day in our classrooms."