2 students told police they felt ‘scared’ around Henderson teacher

A Henderson music teacher arrested this month on suspicion of unlawful contact with a minor made two female students feel “scared and harassed,” according to an arrest report.

Clark County School District police began investigating Jason Markel on Jan. 21 after two students reported “unlawful contact, verbal and physical,” according to Markel’s arrest report. The 37-year-old, who has been working since 2019 as a music teacher at B. Mahlon Brown Academy of International Studies in Henderson, turned himself in to police on April 9, the school district said last week.

The two students said the contact with Markel happened toward the end of December and on Jan. 17. According to the report, Markel was suspended from work “and was not present during the investigation.”

The school district has said Markel was “assigned to home” since January “per the negotiated terms with his bargaining unit.”

A 12-year-old girl told police that on Jan. 17, Markel “approached her toward the end of the period” and that she “felt Mr. Markel’s lips touch her forehead,” although she later said it might have been the teacher’s “breath that she felt,” the report said.

A 14-year-old girl told police that before the school’s winter break, Markel had “brushed his fingers” on her back during class and “placed his arm around her for an extended period of time.” She also said he whispered messages to her that “made her feel uncomfortable.”

The girl told police “that she did not report Mr. Markel’s behaviour sooner since she was afraid of Mr. Markel,” the report said.

Another student told police that she had seen Markel kiss a student and that he had “placed his hands on her and along with student (redacted) in the past,” the report said.

Police spoke with another student who said that “Mr. Markel’s behaviour has caused other students to ‘ditch’ class,” the report said.

The officer who wrote the report noted that “a course of conduct has been established by Mr. Markel,” and “both victims reported actually feeling scared and harassed.”

An arrest warrant for Markel was obtained on March 12, the school district has said. He was granted a walk-through arrest, where he was booked and then immediately released, court records show.

Markel is due in court on July 7. While out of custody, he is not allowed to have contact with anyone under 18, according to online court records.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.