Rhode Island teacher accused of sexually harassing former student

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GLOCESTER, R.I. (WPRI) — A former Ponaganset High School gym teacher has been accused of sexually harassing one of her students, 12 News has learned.

The student, who graduated last spring, filed a formal complaint against the 39-year-old teacher with the Rhode Island State Police earlier this month, according to an affidavit.

The student told investigators the teacher, who was his physical education teacher back when he was a sophomore, began texting his personal cell phone after finding his number online.

He claimed the teacher initially asked him to do work for her while she was on vacation.

“Though the plan never came to fruition, the two continued communication via text message and through social media,” the affidavit said.

The student told police the relationship between him and the teacher shifted throughout his junior year, during which he claimed he “got away [with] whatever he wanted,” according to the affidavit.

“He stated that [the teacher] would often text him telling him that he ‘looked good,'” the affidavit noted.

The teacher allegedly asked the student if she could wear his jersey during the high school’s pep rally, and also routinely requested to wear his sweatshirts.

The student told police their relationship took a turn the day the teacher said it was her birthday and asked what he would be getting her as a gift.

He said the teacher then “proceeded to ask him for a kiss” and gave him her address, according to the affidavit.

The student said he later drove to the teacher’s house in Cranston and parked on a nearby side street, then she walked over and sat next to him inside the vehicle.

He claimed the teacher said, “I can’t believe I’m going to do this … You can’t tell anybody,” before grabbing his face and kissing him for nearly 15 minutes, the affidavit stated.

In the following days, the student claimed the teacher texted him several times, saying that she “Can’t stop thinking about him,” that he was a “good kisser,” that she couldn’t stop “thinking about his lips” and that he had “impressed” her, according to the affidavit.

The student told police the teacher invited him back to her residence several weeks later, where he parked in the same spot and the two kissed again inside his vehicle. This time, the affidavit said the teacher got on top of the student in the back seat and engaged in sexual contact with him.

The student denied having sexual intercourse with the teacher, but according to the affidavit, he showed investigators numerous photos and videos of the teacher in lingerie that she sent to him when he was 17 years old.

He said the teacher also sent nude photos and videos of herself, but only after he became a legal adult, according to the affidavit.

Investigators spoke to the teacher about the student’s claims. In the affidavit, police said she admitted to flirting with him, but emphasized that the two were “never physical,” and had only shared a kiss once on a side street near her home. Police said she also confessed to exchanging text messages with the student that contained “sexual innuendos.”

The teacher claimed she told the student to stop “due to her being his teacher as well as being married,” per the affidavit. She told investigators about the photos and videos she sent to the student as well, and that the two had made plans to have sex once he turned 18, which she said they never acted upon.

The teacher has not been criminally charged in connection with the student’s complaint. Rhode Island State Police told 12 News the investigation is ongoing.

Foster-Glocester Superintendent Dr. Renee Palazzo confirmed last week the teacher “no longer works for the district.”

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