Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Mt. Vernon Middle School Principal Charged For Failing To Report Child Abuse


Scott Shipley
The Hancock County prosecutor has decided that a Mount Vernon middle school principal should be criminally charged for failing to report suspected child abuse when he first learned of allegations that a former teacher's aide had been engaged in sexual misconduct with students. Scott Shipley faces one misdemeanor count of failing to report.

A school counselor first heard a rumor Kisha Nuckols was having sex with students on March 12 and informed Shipley. Because spring break was just beginning, Shipley saw no urgency in pursuing the matter. Instead, he waited until March 29 to advise the high school's assistant principal, Derek Shelton, of the allegations. Shelton immediately contacted Fortville Police, who later arrested Nuckols for child seduction.

According to the probable cause affidavit, Shipley told police he initially didn't find the information credible because it was based on third and fourth-hand information. Shipley told police that once he learned the information was credible, he had Shelton contact Fortville Police to investigate. The school counselor, Bronwyn Kotarski, who told Shipley about the allegations, is not being charged.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Over the course of the last few months as we've seen sorry incident after sorry incident unfold, it is clear that Indiana school officials are more interested in protecting themselves, their ridiculously high salaries and benefits and just about everything else except the children. If the charges are true, he deserves to be professionally destroyed and locked up.

Anonymous said...

I wonder what the colleges teach educators they are not the supreme being, they have a higher authority, and that's the law!

Greg Wright said...

Writing as a former elected school board member, I believe that the prosecutor did the right thing. Each and everyone involved in the delay should be charged. They should be charged with felony neglect. Hats off to Hancock county and Fortville. Why haven't we seen similar actions in Marion county?

Gary R. Welsh said...

The Marion Co. Prosecutor did charge two IPS officials with the same crime, although he gave a pass to Park Tudor officials, presumably because of their elite status in the community.

Leon Dixon said...

Yes, Greg, but I was elected twice to a school board so what I says goes double and that is, as you know, each IPS school board member knew (in all likelihood) almost immediately that there was a problem and NONE OF THEM have been charged with their personal failure to act when as Trustees they have the duty to act when their Administration does not. The rot in IPS begins with that elected Board, and spreads downwards to their hired superintendent....who also needs to be charged. It is a simple matter of ASKING or PROVING when did each of them learn of the problem and What Then did they do or fail to do about it? Hiding behind lawyers and fluffy PR skirts doesn't cut any mustard. Heck, I used to get early morning calls because of snow delays....It sounds to me that the Marion County Prosecutor hasn't had any official complaints, perhaps, or has a printing company that exists only to print passes to the connected.

Anonymous said...

"he gave a pass to Park Tudor officials, presumably because of their elite status in the community."

In exchange for a tuition discount for prosecutor's office kids to attend Park Tudor??