OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – The Oakland County Sheriff’s Department is investigating a long-term substitute teacher at Spring Mills Elementary School in Highland Township.
The families of six children have made allegations that a male teacher groped their children.
Parents went to the school board after doing a background check of their own and finding out this same teacher was charged in 2016 with criminal sexual conduct of a minor. Charges that were eventually dropped.
“If you have a substitute teacher, you’ve got to know where this guy comes from,” said attorney Ven Johnson, who is representing several of these families. “You need to, under Michigan law, have an unprofessional conduct disclosure.”
That means that even though the 2016 charges were dropped, they had to be disclosed.
“How is it a group of moms can secure a proper background check and prior documents on this very employee when Huron Valley just gave him a welcome home,” said parent JoJo Kind told the school board this week.
Because there are no criminal charges in this case at this point, Local 4 is not identifying the teacher in question the district has put on leave while the investigation is ongoing.
There is another issue. Parents claim a complaint was made to the Spring Mills superintendent last year about this teacher and inappropriate touching.
“She blew it off and said he’s a good guy, just kind of handsy,” Johnson said. “Under the Child Protection Act, if you have reasonable cause to suspect child abuse or child neglect, they have to call the authorities.”