Rocky River police not filing charges after video emerges of teachers discussing inappropriate student photograph

(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

By Collin Cunningham

(CLEVELAND) Rocky River police announced on Thursday that they will not be filing charges against any of the six Rocky River City Schools (RRCS) staff members who are on administrative leave in relation to a videotaped incident in which two male teachers can be seen discussing an allegedly explicit photo of a female student.

Per FOX8, RRCS Superintendent Michael Sloaf said he was "disgusted" and "shocked" in the district's video response released Friday after the station released the video below of the conversation on Thursday. Viewers should be warned that the recording, which shows a phone screen during a team meeting, contains explicit content.

In the video, the two unidentified teachers refer to a female student as "smoking hot" when discussing a reportedly inappropriate photograph that a third male teacher had captured of the student.

"I think she's the best in the school," the first teacher continued.

"I'm not above being a pervert, but I'm not going there," one teacher said.

At one point in the video, one of the teachers told the other that he blocked the number of the teacher who photographed the picture when he tried to send it.

"I was so upset about this," one of the teachers said. "Because, legally, we gotta go to - when, you know? He said it was a beaver shot."

"I didn't look at it," the other teacher said.

"I didn't either," the first responded.

Shoaf initially said that the Rocky River Police Department (RRPD) would be releasing the video in a letter to parents on Thursday, but a dispatcher later said law enforcement would not be posting the footage, Cleveland.com reported on Friday.

Police said they have also obtained the text message thread between the staff member who allegedly sent the photo and the intended recipient.

"Regarding the video of our staff members' discussion that is circulating in the community, I'm disgusted, I'm shocked, and as the father of a teenage daughter in this district, I'm angry," Shoaf said, sitting alongside District Assistant Superintendent Elizabeth Anderson in their response video below, which 3News posted footage of. "What was stated by these staff members was not only inappropriate and unprofessional, it was offensive."

“We notified the Rocky River Police Department when we were made aware of the situation,” Anderson said.“We hold our teachers and our staff accountable to maintain the highest standards of professionalism.”

In a statement to FOX8, RRPD Chief George Lichman said his department had found insufficient evidence to convict any of the teachers involved during their investigation.

“Police detectives investigated the complaint, including identifying all included on the text thread, interviewing teachers and witnesses, viewing the text thread at issue, and consulting with City and Cuyahoga County prosecutors,” Lichman said.

An attorney responsible for defending one of the six staff members currently on leave told 3News in a statement that the school district should be held accountable for negligence in this case.

“I think the irresponsible parties, in this case, are the high school, the human resource director, the principal, and, most recently, the superintendent,” said Henry Hilow of Hillow & Spellacy Co., who alleged the school district waited six hours to turn the video of the teachers over to authorities.

“The superintendent should be looking inward and asking themselves, ‘Why did the human resource director and the principal wait six hours before reporting it to the Rocky River police?’ Hillow's statement continued.

While the district continues its investigation into the matter, Lichman said the department's case is closed.

"No evidence of photos of students or inappropriate discussions about students were contained in the text message thread among the teachers."

The six unidentified district staff members will remain on leave until the district's investigation is finished. RRCS told parents that the employees were being investigated for discussing a student "in an inappropriate manner" when it put the first four staff on leave on March 11. The district gave the same reasoning when it put the other two on leave on March 22.

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