Officials at Nicolet High School are looking for possible victims of a teacher accused of sexually assaulting a student while he taught from 1958 to 1991, and the district announced changes in the school's policy enacted to prevent future abuse.
Superintendent Robert Kobylski informed parents in a letter Monday of the findings of district’s investigation into about inappropriate conduct by a former employee who left the district in the 1990s.
A Nicolet High School graduate who was at the school in the early 1980s said they were sexually assaulted by David Johnson, a former teacher.
The district contacted Glendale Police Department, which said the abuse was outside the statute of limitations for criminal prosecution.
The district began investigating the matter and found that the former student was sexually abused by Johnson. The investigation also found there is evidence that he abused at least one other student, though no other students were personally identified in the investigation.
The district has contacted former students who attended the school during Johnson’s tenure from 1958 to 1991 in attempt to find other victims.
The Glendale Police Department was unable to locate any records relating to a report made to the police department at the time.
The district is implementing a number of changes, including mandatory abuse or harassment reporting obligations and training on setting boundaries with students.
Current and former Nicolet students or parents are also urged to contact the district to report any abuse. They can do so by submitting an anonymous report on the district’s website.
Elizabeth Gutterman, president of the Nicolet High School Board of Education, released the following statement to TODAY'S TMJ4 Monday:
While the misconduct reported by the former student occurred many years ago, we felt an obligation to learn, as best we could, how it could have happened and whether other students may have been harmed.
Needless to say, the School Board and current Administration are deeply troubled by the findings of this investigation and concerns of this nature would be handled much differently today. On behalf of the Nicolet School District, we offer our most heartfelt apology to Mr. Johnson’s victims.
Any alumni who have been affected personally by Mr. Johnson’s misconduct is encouraged to contact the current superintendent. We pledge to make every effort to keep information confidential and non-personally identifiable. We will also work to connect victims with appropriate community resources for survivors of sexual abuse.
The District is committed to protecting the safety and well-being of current and future Nicolet students, and has taken a number of steps to prevent this from ever happening again.
