Articles Tagged with school

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A physical education teacher working at Herndon Barstow Elementary School in the Clovis Unified School District has been accused of punishing students by briefly constricting their necks with a jump rope. The victims are all children between the ages of 9 and 11.

Detectives reported that the incident occurred on Thursday afternoon when the teacher, Peter Samhammer, allegedly utilized disciplinary measures consisting of holding a jump rope around their necks for a brief time before releasing them. Visible red marks were left on the neck and shoulder areas of the victims.

The Central Unified School District responded to the situation by releasing a statement confirming that Samhammer, who worked as a seasonal employee, has been placed on official administrative leave. They also announced, “Student safety is a top priority for the district and as such, we are fully cooperating with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office and will continue to do so throughout the course of its investigation.”

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52-year-old Mary Jahn, an English teacher at Lakewood High School since 2006, has been accused of engaging in a sexual relationship for three years with a former female student which began when the girl was 15 years old in 2008. According to the authorities, after the girl turned 18 in 2011 she and Jahn’s physical intimacy ended, but they stayed in touch on and off until early spring of this year when the student reported the alleged sexual abuse to the police.

Following the student’s report an investigation began, and Jahn was put on leave from her teaching position. She was arrested on September 13. The Long Beach Unified School District has offered their support to the authorities, and after Jahn’s arrest they released a public statement assuring that the “safety and well-being of our students is always our primary concern.”

Following a short court proceeding Jahn now faces criminal charges for 9 felonies comprised of four counts of sexual penetration by a foreign object, three counts of lewd acts upon a child, and two counts of oral copulation of a person under 18. If convicted on all charges Jahn could face eight years and four months in state prison, and she would have a mandatory legal obligation to register as a sex offender for the remainder of her life.

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