Oak Creek teacher charged, accused of sexually assaulting student in classroom
A former Oak Creek High School teacher is facing charges after she was accused of sexually assaulting a student in her classroom in December.
Rachel Goodle, 22, was charged July 20 with one count of second degree sexual assault of a child under 16 years old and one count of sexual assault of a student by school staff, both felonies. If convicted, Goodle faces up to 46 years in prison, according to online court records.
Goodle's initial court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 11.
In a message to district parents, the Oak Creek-Franklin School District said Goodle no longer works for the district. Lindsey Ziarnik, communications specialist for the district, didn't immediately respond to questions about when the district became aware of the allegations or took action.
"Student safety is absolutely the highest priority of the District," the district's statement said. "We have no reason to believe any other students are involved in this situation. However, if ever in speaking with your children, you learn of anything that may jeopardize student safety, please contact your child’s principal."
Surveillance showed Goodle being 'close' with student in public
The criminal complaint didn't clarify when the Oak Creek Police Department became involved, but noted the department "was made aware of a possible inappropriate relationship" between a student and teacher at the high school.
Oak Creek High School's school resource officer interviewed students and reviewed surveillance footage from the school as part of his investigation. The surveillance footage showed Goodle and the student "spending an inordinate amount of time together, and arriving and sitting together at a school sporting event," according to the criminal complaint.
On Dec. 2, 2022, video showed Goodle and the student going into her classroom at 4:45 p.m. The door closed at 4:49 and stayed closed until 5:07, when a custodian opened the door. The door remained open until Goodle and the student left the classroom together at 5:42 to attend a basketball game. Both were observed sitting next to each other, away from other groups, students or individuals at the game, as well as leaning into each other as they talked, the complaint said.
When a detective spoke with the student, the student said he and Goodle had sex in the back of her classroom that day, according to the complaint. The student also said there had been "rumors for months about an inappropriate relationship between himself and Goodle," the complaint said.
Attorney calls for wider investigation of Oak Creek School District
An attorney for the student and the student's family, Drew DeVinney, is calling for an investigation into the Oak Creek-Franklin School District and the school board. He noted it's the second time in six years that an Oak Creek teacher was charged with sexually assaulting a student on district property. Michael Jossie was charged in October 2017 with second degree sexual assault of a child and sentenced to 11 years in prison.
"This second charge in less than six years reveals an issue that goes beyond the high school," DeVinney said in a statement. "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."
When asked who he'd like to see investigate the district, DeVinney said he wanted to see the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights do so, though he didn't clarify the legal grounds for such an investigation. He said he has reached out to the DPI but not the Office of Civil Rights.
"What we want to have investigated is what the Oak Creek-Franklin School (District) had done after the previous incident to ensure something like this doesn't happen and then to investigate what steps the school district took in investigating this present incident with Ms. Goodle," DeVinney said in a phone interview.
Asked whether DPI was conducting any investigation into the district, the department only confirmed it was investigating Goodle to potentially revoke her teaching license.
In its message to parents, the Oak Creek-Franklin School District said it "acted swiftly to communicate and collaborate with law enforcement's investigation" upon learning of the alleged conduct. The district said it will continue working with the Oak Creek Police Department "in every way we can" and said it shares three school resource officers across the district.
Contact Alec Johnson at (262) 875-9469 or alec.johnson@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AlecJohnson12.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Oak Creek High School teacher Rachel Goodle charged with sexual assault
