An Elizabeth Forward High School special education teacher Nicole Corson, 42, faces seven charges stemming from an alleged inappropriate with a 16-year-old male student in her class.
On Friday, Corson was arraigned on charges including institutional sexual assault, indecent assault, corruption of minors, obstructing administration of law, criminal communications and intimidation, retaliation or obstructing a child abuse case.
Corson Asked Student to Come to Her House to 'Have Fun,' Promised Sexual Favors
Elizabeth Township Police Chief Ken Honick said his department responded to reports of Corson's alleged activity after receiving a tip on state helpline in December. According to the criminal complaint, the calls were made by other high school staffers, a student and the victim's grandmother. The teacher was then placed on administrative leave by the school and police began a three-month investigation.
During the investigation, officers found that Corson allegedly sent the teen nude photos of herself and asked him to come to her house to "have fun," promising sexual favors, according to arresting documents.
The boy never went to her house, according to police paperwork. But those documents do show that Corson allegedly touched the boy inappropriately on school property at least three different times, including once on the school bus and once in the classroom. Moreover, investigators also found lengthy phone, FaceTime and Snapchat conversations before and after school and even on weekends between the student and teacher.
"The complexity of this investigation required us to review hundreds of digital messages, multiple social media platforms, cellphone records, interviews with some students and staff, members of the community and it was just a very concerning case," Honick said.
Corson Told Student to Delete All Messages As She was Being Investigated
Corson continued to initiate contact with the teenager even after she was placed on leave. The teen told investigators that Corson called him via FaceTime after she was put on leave and accused him of causing her to be placed on leave and under investigation, the complaint said. He said she told him to delete her contact information and all messages and photos from her.
Police wrote that the high school principal reported that when he allowed Corson to retrieve her belongings from her classroom, the student saw her doing something with his iPad.
Investigators also found that after Corson was put on leave, she spent nearly two hours in the school-based app that facilitates online learning and teacher-student communication, according to the complaint. The complaint said she spent the time deleting all exchanges with the alleged victim, which district IT employees were able to recover.
School District Sent Parents a Letter Announcing Corson's Suspension
The district sent a letter to families on Friday confirming that the employee has been placed on suspension and said "the safety of our students remains our top priority and we will continue to worth with the Elizabeth Township Police Department on this matter."
Corson is currently being held on a $200,000 bond in the Allegheny County Jail and is due back in court for a preliminary hearing on Wednesday, March 16
