ROCKY RIVER, Ohio — The Rocky River Police Department says that six local teachers accused of making "inappropriate comments" about a female student and sending a graphic text message will not face charges.
It's a decision that has many parents shaking their heads.
3News confirmed that on Thursday, April 1, the Rocky River School Board will hold a special meeting to discuss the investigation of charges or complaints against a public official or employee we believe to be the six teachers still under school investigation. That meeting will be held in executive session.
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Liz Anderson, the Rocky River Schools Assistant Superintendent, says the schools’ investigation isn’t over.
“If the current investigation concludes the staff members in question failed to act appropriately then disciplinary actions, will be taken. As stated a moment ago, we notified the Rocky River Police Department when we were made aware of this situation.”
In a 51-page report, the Rocky River Police Department explains the alleged inappropriate picture sent in the teachers’ group text was not of a student, but was a "spoofed picture of June Cleaver with her dress pulled up exposing her vagina."
The report goes on to say there was no mention of students in the text thread.
On Monday, the Rocky River Teachers Association President Association President David Opdycke released the following statement to 3News:
"As President of the Rocky River Teachers Association, I am committed to making sure the investigation is fair and the facts, not rumors or allegations, are used to guide the District response. I am glad that the criminal investigation is over and that the police determined that no inappropriate pictures were taken or texted. The internal investigation will continue and I know that all the teachers involved look forward to responding to the allegations. I hope everyone involved will allow the investigation to proceed without undermining the integrity of the process with prejudicial statements to the community. Please have faith in the investigation and the people involved. Everyone's priority is to protect and serve the interests of the students of Rocky River City Schools."
To be clear, while no criminal charges will be brought against any of the six teachers involved because of the discussion or text message, the school system is still investigating comments the teachers made that were recorded after a zoom class. The school system will only speak out once their investigation closes.
Editor's note: the video in the player below is from a story published on March 27, 2021.