Teachers still facing questions

Henderson police have dropped an investigation of a female teacher at Foothill High School who was accused of inappropriate conduct with a student.

Clark County School District officials, however, will continue their investigation of the female teacher and two male colleagues at the Henderson campus during the upcoming school year.

Near the end of the school year, three teachers at Foothill were placed on paid administrative leave.

District officials wouldn't disclose the reason. But sources said the investigation involved allegations of separate incidents of sexual misconduct between teachers and students.

Allegations against one female teacher were serious enough to warrant a criminal investigation by Henderson police.

Keith Paul, a spokesman with Henderson police, said the case was dropped on June 1. "The case is closed. No charges were filed."

Henderson police took over the investigation against the female teacher on May 21.

A mother of a 16-year-old Foothill student told the Review-Journal in late May that her son and the female teacher in question did not have sex. She said she believed the female teacher made comments to her son that were sexual in nature.

Darrin Puana, the district's assistant director in the Employee Management Relations office, was unaware Thursday that Henderson police had dropped the case against the female teacher.

The teachers will remain under investigation by the district when classes resume in the fall, Puana said.

"They were being investigated; they are still being investigated," Puana said. "We are unable to talk to them, contractually that is, when they are off."

Puana said it is unlikely the teachers under investigation will be in the classroom for the first day of high school classes, on Aug. 27.

Even if no criminal charges are filed against the teachers, district officials acted correctly by investigating allegations against them, Puana said.

"There are things you can do that may not be criminal, but are definitely considered inappropriate as far as an employee is concerned," Puana said.

John Jasonek, executive director of the Clark County Education Association teachers union, said the district is not acting responsibly by putting the investigation of the Foothill teachers on hiatus for the summer.

The district's handling of the investigation is similar to "administrative harassment" against teachers, who are sometimes reprimanded just before holidays, he said.

"They need to hurry up and expedite what they need to do and not leave these people hanging," Jasonek said.

Wondering how a local story turned out or what happened to someone in the news? Call the City Desk at 383-0264, and we will try to answer your question in this column.