Dec 7, 2007 7:48 am US/Mountain
Parents Meet School Board About Sex Assault Arrest
Brighton Teacher Accused Of Sex Assault On Student
Accusations At Same School Where Carrie McCandless Taught, Principal Releases Statement
BRIGHTON, Colo. (CBS4) ―
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Ralph Kelly, 34, is being investigated for allegations he sexually assaulted a student at the school earlier this month.
CBS
A teacher from Brighton Collegiate High School was arrested early Thursday morning on accusations of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust, Brighton police said. Parents and School Board members met Thursday night to talk about the case in the wake of a similar high-profile incident at the school.
Ralph Kelly, 34, is being investigated for allegations he sexually assaulted a student at the school earlier this month. The alleged victim's age and gender have not been released by authorities.
Brighton Collegiate High School was recently renamed and used to be known as Brighton Charter Academy.
Kelly was hired in the spring of 2007 and teaches German and Social Studies.
"As required by law the school performs a criminal background check on each employee," Principal Anthony Matthews said in a prepared statement. "The state and federal background check performed on Mr. Kelly revealed no criminal history."
Matthews said prior to Kelly's arrest, nobody at the school had reason to believe Kelly had engaged in any wrongdoing.
"Prior to today no one has made any allegations against Mr. Kelly to any staff member, board member, or any other person associated with the school," Matthews said.
Matthews said the school will take the necessary steps to ensure the safety of students.
Kelly was placed on administrative leave with pay.
A former teacher at the school, Carrie McCandless, 29, pleaded in April to tampering with physical evidence, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and unlawful sexual contact.
McCandless was accused of fondling one of her students and providing him with alcohol during an overnight trip to Estes Park and originally faced the same charge Kelly does.
At Thursday night's meeting, the School Board said it had done all it could to keep history from repeating.
"There was absolutely no indication, either on the background check or the behavior observed by the staff," Barry Arrington, the school's attorney said.
"I want to see his background, I want to see his references," said Jessica Marfil, a parent of a student at the school. "I'm considering looking into other schools.
Other parents said their students enjoyed Kelly's class and thought he was a good teacher.
A substitute teacher was also arrested at the school a couple of year's ago. Dave Mundy Jr. pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual contact.
Investigators asked anyone who had information on the new case to call Detective Lopez at (303) 655-2335.
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