OAK CREEK, Wis. — A former Oak Creek High School teacher was charged with sexual assault of a child after prosecutors say she had sex with a student inside a classroom.
Last week, Rachel Goodle, 22, was charged with second-degree sexual assault of a child under the age of 16 and sexual assault of a student by school staff, both felonies.
According to a criminal complaint, the Oak Creek Police Department was made aware of a possible inappropriate relationship between a student and a teacher at Oak Creek High School. The school resource officer investigated allegations and rumors and learned the teacher, Goodle, was suspended due to her relationship with a student at the same school.
An investigation included interviews with students, the victim, and a review of school surveillance footage. The criminal complaint says footage showed a "close relationship" between Goodle and the student, including the pair "spending an inordinate amount of time together, and arriving and sitting together at a school sporting event. The two sat away from the student section."
Video shows Goodle and the victim meeting inside her classroom on Friday, Dec. 2. The complaint says, once inside, the door closed at 4:49 p.m. It is seen opening again at 5:07 p.m. when a custodian opens the door. The complaint says the door remained open until Goodle and the victim left together at 5:42 p.m.
A detective met with the victim who stated there were rumors for months about him and Goodle. The complaint says when asked if any "inappropriate touching" happened, he stated, "Something did happen." The student then told the detective they had sex in the back of her classroom.
Goodle will make her initial appearance in court on Aug. 11. She faces more than 40 years in prison if convicted.
On Monday, the attorney for the victim and the victim's family issued the following statement: "Criminal charges were filed on July 20, 2023 in Milwaukee County against an Oak Creek High School teacher, Rachel Goodle, for 2nd Degree Sexual Assault of a Child and Sexual Assault of a Student by School Staff. The criminal charges arise out of sexual intercourse and contact with a student of Oak Creek High School, which occurred inside the Ninth-Grade Center at Oak Creek High School.
This is the second time in less than six years that an Oak Creek High School teacher has been charged with sexually assaulting a student inside the walls of the school. The first charges were brought forward on October 13, 2017, and resulted in a guilty plea on January 26, 2018. This second charge in less than six years reveals an issue that goes beyond the high school. An investigation directed at the highest levels of the Oak Creek Franklin School District (“OCFSD”), including the superintendent and school board, must be completed. This investigation must include, but not be limited to, the steps taken by the OCFSD to create a safe space for its students after the 2017 sexual assault and the failure of the OCFSD to act upon information that led to the most recent charged sexual assault.
The victim and the victim’s family respectfully ask for their privacy while this matter is pending."
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