LOCAL

Lancaster school board begins firing process against teacher charged with sexual battery

Lancaster Eagle Gazette

LANCASTER — The Lancaster City Schools Board of Education suspended high school teacher Eddie Black without pay Wednesday.

Black has been accused of having a sexual relationship with a student, whom she later married. The school board voted during a special meeting Wednesday morning to consider Black's dismissal, which begins the formal process of firing her.

The 47-year-old English teacher is accused of having a sexual relationship with a then-16-year-old student from 2003 to 2005. A year later, the couple married in Anchorage, Alaska, according to court records. They then dissolved the marriage in July 2013.

A review of Eddie Black’s personnel file, obtained through a public records request, shows investigative findings from Lancaster City School's investigation into Black after her accuser reported the relationship to police April 25. The investigation determined Black may have also "failed to maintain professional boundaries" with other students in addition to her accuser.

The district's findings were outlined in a letter from Superintendent Steve Wigton to Black on Monday, saying she allegedly carried out a personal, emotional, and physical relationship with her accuser when he was 16 to 18 years old.

The letter also states Black received many text messages from LHS students that “were not related to school curriculum or school activities.” She also allegedly attended parties with students “and/or bought or furnished alcohol to LHS students,” according to the letter.

Many of the allegations were based on notes or letters written by Black to the student that contained "inappropriate content," according to the district's findings.

According to Lancaster police reports, 20 notes, nine letters and a card alleged to have been written by Black were collected as evidence. Police also took samples of her handwriting for comparison.

The district also determined Black "failed to maintain professional boundaries with one or more LHS students and fraternized with one or more LHS students in a manner that was improper and/or gave the appearance of impropriety."

Black's personnel file contains numerous classroom visitation reports that give high marks for Black's teaching style and rapport with students, dating back to 1999. There are no other mentions of disciplinary actions or complaints lodged against her. There was one mention in a classroom visit from 2000 that was listed as a problem or concern:

"You have an easy relationship with your students, one that earns their respect and trust," according to the reviewer's notes. "Be careful not to cross the line with too much familiarity. That's difficult, I know, especially when you have students with a real need to talk. Just remember to maintain that line between a caring, compassionate teacher and a friend/peer."

Even though the alleged crime occurred 15 years ago, Fairfield County Prosecutor Kyle Witt said there was no question about prosecuting the case after it was reported to authorities.

A grand jury indicted Black on one count of sexual battery, a third-degree felony, on July 26.

The school board is giving Black notice of its intention to consider her contract termination and must wait 10 days upon receipt to proceed with formal action.

Court records show Black was released on a $30,000 unsecured appearance bond. A pretrial hearing in the case is set for Sept. 17 before Judge David Trimmer.

sremoquill@gannett.com

740-681-4342

Twitter: @SpencerRemo