Alyssia Marie Reddy, a 29-year-old New Jersey English teacher, has been arrested for allegedly having sex with a 16-year-old student.
Reddy, 29, was arrested on Friday, December 1, on charges institutional sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor, criminal use of a communication facility and corruption of a minor.
An English teacher at the Pennington School in Pennington, New Jersey, a school which charges $38,100 per year for tuition, Reddy was arrested by the Baltimore County Fugitive Task Force in Maryland and is awaiting extradition to Pennsylvania. Following Reddy’s arrest, St. Paul’s School for Girls — located in Baltimore County — terminated her employment.
According to reports, the unidentified student said in he received messages from Reddy saying, “I want your hands on me.”
via NBC:
In December 2016, Reddy gave the student her cell phone number and then added him on Snapchat, according to the police records. The student said in February 2017 he received messages from Reddy saying, “I want your hands on me.”
About three weeks after that, Reddy picked up the student from a friend’s house in Solebury, Pennsylvania, drove him to a nearby park and had sex with him, according to the police report.
Police received the first report of the incident on November 20. In a statement to parents, the school said they had reported the case to prosecutors after being made aware of it. The school said it is cooperating with law enforcement, and that the head of the school plans to meet with students Monday.
Reddy had since left the school and moved to Maryland. A Baltimore television station reported that Reddy had been teaching at the St. Paul School for Girls near Baltimore, and that she had been fired.
Reddy was charged with institutional sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor, criminal use of a communication facility and corruption of a minor.
St. Paul’s School for Girls, the school that Reddy was working at when she was arrested, issued the following statement about the allegations:
Dear Members of the St. Paul’s School for Girls Community,
We have just learned that one of our Upper School teachers, Alyssia Reddy, who joined our faculty this year, has been charged with a felony involving sexual assault of a minor. The alleged events took place in Pennsylvania this past school year with a male high school student before she came to St. Paul’s School for Girls. This news is deeply disturbing to all of us and saddens us. We have terminated Mrs. Reddy’s employment with St. Paul’s School for Girls, effective immediately. Mrs. Reddy is barred from campus and we discontinued her access to the school’s computer network. Before today, we had no information suggesting any prior improper conduct by Mrs. Reddy.
The safety and well-being of all our students is our top priority. It is our most sacred trust.
What is most important for you to know is that our policies and procedures, as well as the professional training for all members of faculty and staff are comprehensive and reflect our steadfast commitment to protecting our students. Prior to hiring Mrs. Reddy, we performed a thorough background check, as we do with all new employees. Our training includes a code of conduct, with clear definitions of what is – and is not – acceptable behavior. We discuss the importance of maintaining appropriate boundaries between faculty and students.
A professional from Baltimore Child Abuse Center conducts annual training regarding the duty to report so that members of our faculty and staff, including coaches, know and understand that they should immediately report behavior by any member of the staff which they find inappropriate.
A separate message to our Upper School families regarding staffing changes is forthcoming.
We understand that this news is troubling and that you may have questions. Please know that I welcome your call and would be happy to talk with you. And if you have any concerns regarding student safety, please share them with me immediately.
We are deeply grateful for your continued trust and confidence in St. Paul’s School for Girls. Thank you.
Dr. William S. Hawkey, the headmaster at St. Paul’s, met with all students on Monday, December 4, to answer any questions regarding the incident. Furthermore, school counselors and advisors will also be made available.
This is the latest in a string of teacher/student sex scandals this year. In November, Tennessee teacher Janet Smothers was arrested. Former nutrition teacher LaToya Parker was also arrested for a relationship with a student. Florida teacher Caroline Lawson was charged with sexual assault. 26-year-old Allyson Moran was also arrested for similar crimes. The 23-year-old high school teacher Katherine Ross Ridenhour was also arrested for an inappropriate relationship. Hunter Day, 22, was also arrested after a sting operation. Megan Kotarski was also arrested on similar charges. Michelle Schiffer, a 23-year-old history teacher in Texas, was also charged and arrested for allegedly having sex with a teenage student.
