Columbia Heights charter school investigation underway after allegations
COLUMBIA HEIGHTS, Minn. (FOX 9) - A criminal investigation is underway, and a teacher is on administrative leave, following abuse allegations at a Columbia Heights charter school.
Accusations
The parents of one of the alleged victims told Fox 9 that their daughter was among at least four students who reported the teacher to school administrators for inappropriate touching.
"He kept rubbing on her and the other little girls’ backs, rubbing on their lower backs, and then he brushed his hand against her butt," said the child’s mother. "My daughter said she most definitely said, ‘stop touching me. I don’t like it.’ The other kids said the same thing, and he just kept doing it."
School response
A spokesperson for Prodeo Academy said the school is taking the allegations "very seriously," telling Fox 9 in an email Tuesday that the school immediately took action after receiving the complaint and reported the allegations to the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE).
In a letter to the victim’s parents, the MDE says the alleged abuse occurred on or around Sept. 6, but the parents said they weren’t notified until Sept. 11. They also claim their daughter was questioned by school staff before parents were notified.
"I asked them point-blank, ‘where are the police?’ and they said, ‘we didn’t call police. We called our lawyer. It's protocol,’" the victim’s father recalled.
The parents said they were the first to report the allegations to police. The Anoka County Sheriff’s Office tells FOX 9 that there is now an open investigation into the matter.
Minnesota state law requires mandated reporters to notify MDE of allegations of sexual abuse within 72 hours. A spokesperson for Prodeo Academy did not immediately confirm whether staff met that timeline.
In a letter to the parents, the school said the teacher is on administrative leave pending an investigation.
The school’s full statement reads: Prodeo Academy's highest priority is to create a safe and supportive environment. As a result, Prodeo Academy takes all allegations of inappropriate behavior very seriously.
Prodeo Academy confirms that a complaint was made. After receiving this complaint, Prodeo Academy immediately took action, filed a report with the Minnesota Department of Education, and began conducting an investigation, which is ongoing.