Superintendant says recent incidents will not define school system
The arrest of Hahnville High School teacher Jeremy Eusea for “sexting” a 16-year-old student came only a day after he was arrested and booked for sexual misconduct with a student.
His arrest also came less than two months after the incarceration of a Destrehan High School teacher and less than two years after another two DHS teachers were arrested – all accused of indecent behavior with students.
Last Wednesday, Eusea, 30, of Paradis was arrested and charged with one count each of sexual battery and prohibited sexual conduct between an educator and a student. Eusea had allegedly begun text messaging with a 17-year-old student that included inappropriate conversations and pictures during and after school, according to the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office.
He is also accused of having inappropriate physical contact with this student.
Eusea, who taught sports medicine and is a certified athletic trainer, made $10,000 bail and was released from the Nelson Coleman Correctional Center on the first arrest.
The next day (March 4), he was arrested again and this time booked on three felonies – one count each of computer-aided solicitation of a minor, prohibited sexual conduct between an educator and student and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile. Eusea also was booked on two misdemeanors of indecent behavior of a juvenile and pornography involving juveniles with a 16-year-old student during 2010-11.
By Wednesday, Eusea had made $25,000 bail and was again released.
Asked if the HHS teacher faced more charges, Sheriff’s Office spokesman Capt. Pat Yoes said the case is still under investigation.
Eusea was suspended without pay, according to school system spokeswoman Stevie Crovetto.
The school district was still reeling from the January arrest of 26-year-old Kimberly Naquin of Destrehan, a geography DHS teacher and daughter of St. Charles Parish School Board President Dennis Naquin.
Naquin was charged with carnal knowledge of a juvenile and a misdemeanor charge of prohibited sexual conduct between an educator and student with her female student in St. Charles Parish. Soon after, she was booked on 10 charges of carnal knowledge of a juvenile (statutory rape) and a felony charge of prohibited sexual conduct between an educator and a female student in Jefferson Parish.
The student told police the relationship began in September of 2014 and continued up to or about August 2015 with encounters in St. Charles and Jefferson parishes.
In October of 2014, DHS teachers Rachel Respess, 25, and Shelley Dufresne, 33, were arrested and charged with having sex with an underage male student, also in St. Charles and Jefferson parishes. Respess had an apartment in Kenner where they allegedly had a threesome.
By Monday, St. Charles Parish Superintendent Felecia Gomez-Walker attempted to quell parents’ concerns who “perhaps question the culture of the district” in a video presentation posted on the system website.
“I assure you that the actions of several individuals do not represent the many, dedicated teachers, administrators and employees of St. Charles Parish Public Schools who are committed to providing a positive learning environment focused on teaching and learning,” Gomez-Walker said.
The superintendent, as was said in an earlier statement from the system, again emphasized, “The district has and continues to take an aggressive approach to address employee misconduct with students. Due to the recent incidents, we are actively seeking out organizations that have expertise in this area to offer recommendations.”
Crovetto said the system is in the beginning stages of this process, but it is researching organizations that could assist.
After the Naquin case surfaced in January, Terry Abbott, former chief of staff with the U.S. Department of Education whose public relations firm tracks cases of educators accused or convicted of sexual contact with students, said
St. Charles Parish’s multiple teacher-student sex cases could be a “culture problem” but were more likely part of what he described as a national epidemic of these cases.Abbott also pointed to offenders’ increasing use of social media such as Instagram and Twitter in these cases, calling it “the biggest factor” in how they are connecting with students.
He also cited school policies on teacher-student communications, such as the one used in the St. Charles Parish system, as not being specific enough to be effective.
Gomez-Walker said the district has “zero tolerance” for actions that negatively impact the school system and students. She further outlined system policies that prohibit inappropriate conduct with students, including electronic communications between employees and students; bullying and harassment; child abuse and neglect, and sexual harassment of and by students.
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