PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A former teacher at Northview Public Schools is accused of sexually assaulting a student more than two decades ago.
The Kent County Sheriff's Office (KCSO) announced the arrest of a 51-year-old man from Cannon Township on Monday, Feb. 5. Detectives say a woman alleges she and he had sexual contact starting when the woman was 13 years old.
The woman claims the assaults happened from 1998 to 2003 when she was a student at Northview Public Schools. The sheriff's office says the allegations were just brought to investigators earlier this month after the woman, now 38, had a conversation with her daughter about body safety and felt compelled to come forward.
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Detectives say some of the sexual contact happened on school property.
The 51-year-old faces two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct. Officials are not identifying him until he is formally arraigned, which is scheduled to happen on Tuesday, Feb. 6. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison.
Superintendent Christina Hinds released the following statement:
"Northview Public Schools was informed earlier today of the arrest of a former teacher by the Kent County Sheriff’s Office. This individual last worked for Northview Public Schools in 2000. We want to assure our community that the safety and well-being of our students are our highest priorities. Upon learning of the investigation, our district has been working alongside the sheriff’s office and will continue to do so to bring resolution and closure to this situation. As this is an ongoing criminal matter, we are unable to comment further or provide additional information at this time. We understand the concerns that incidents like these can cause and want to reassure our community of our unwavering commitment to student safety. We will continue to work diligently to uphold these values and trust. We appreciate the understanding and support of our community as we navigate through this matter."
It’s unclear why the 51-year-old left the district or if he went elsewhere, but hours after KCSO released information on the investigation, Lowell Area Schools sent the following letter to parents, which said a high school teacher was placed on administrative leave following misconduct allegations.
Parent Letter by WXMI on Scribd
Emily Kulhanek, a family advocate at the Children’s Advocacy Center of Kent County, explains kids cannot consent to any form of sexual activity when it involves someone that holds power over them like a teacher.
She says it’s important for families to speak openly to their children about sexual abuse.
“You want to be developmentally appropriate… [and] again, normalizing your body and reducing that stigma of your body,” said Kulhanek. “Being able to use anatomically correct names for your body is very important.”
She added, “The more they know, the more that they are going to be empowered to be able to make a healthier decision and a safer decision.”
According to Kulhanek, children often know their perpetrators. Sudden changes in a kid’s behavior along with physical signs, like bloody or stained underclothing, could indicate an issue.
If a child discloses abuse, she encourages parents to use affirming language and believe them then report it to authorities or advocacy organizations like the Children’s Advocacy Center of Kent County.
“The more that we can accept that child sexual abuse is a pandemic and is in every community, the more than we can start empowering our kids to understand what's consensual versus what's non-consensual [and] we can empower caregivers to understand some of those warning signs,” said Kulhanek.
The Kent County Sheriff's Office asks anyone with information on this case to call 616-632-6125, or contact Silent Observer at 616-774-2345
