A former Appleton West High School teacher accused of having sex with a student in the 2017-2018 academic year failed to report the sexual assault of a student the same year as the alleged crimes, according to an internal investigation report obtained by the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
Rebecca Ryan, 43, of Fox Crossing, was charged May 1 with three counts of sex assault by school staff after a now-25-year-old man told police that he had sexual intercourse on multiple occasions with Ryan when he was a 17-year-old student at Appleton West High School. The former student said the encounters took place between September 2017 and January 2018.
Around the same time as the alleged crimes, an internal investigation found that Ryan contributed to a statuatory sexual assault that occurred on the school’s campus on Jan. 31, 2018. The investigation report states Ryan gave an 18-year-old male student keys to a secured bathroom during eighth period.
During the class period, a statuatory sexual assault occurred between the 18-year-old student and a 15-year-old student, according to the report. The student was out of the class for 27 minutes, the report said, and surveillance video doesn’t show Ryan making an attempt to look for the student, contradicting her testimony that she did.
By giving the student keys to a secured area and not searching for the student during the 27-minute time period, the investigation found Ryan provided the student “with the opportunity and access that directly resulted in the sexual assault.”
Ryan also failed to report the incident as she is required to by law, the investigation found. Another student in Ryan’s class reported the incident to her the next day, Feb. 1, 2018, during Ryan’s seventh period class, the report said. Ryan did not report the information to Child Protection Services or school administration, despite having multiple opportunities to speak to administration that day.
According to the report, Ryan said she intended to report the incident once she confirmed it was true, “essentially conducting her own investigation.”
The report stated Ryan’s actions were “not conducive” to district policies. A resignation agreement Ryan signed Feb. 9, 2018, which stipulated her effective resignation date as Feb. 8, said that “in light of resignation, the district will not implement discipline for any investigation pending prior to the resignation.”
Ryan returns to court Sept. 18 for a pre-trial conference.
Vivian Barrett is the public safety reporter for the Green Bay Press-Gazette. You can reach her at vmbarrett@greenbay.gannett.com or (920) 431-8314.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Former Appleton West teacher accused of sex with student failed to report 2018 sexual assault, report says
Reporting by Vivian Barrett, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
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