SEATTLE — A private tutor — hired by Seattle Public Schools to teach math at a local middle school — has been charged with sexually assaulting a seventh grader he taught.
King County prosecutors say Gregory Emmanuel Ward worked as a tutor for the nonprofit group City Year and tutored that child at Aki Kurose Middle School.
Investigators say he worked with the student for months and the two had a sexting relationship.
Prosecutors say it came to an end when the victim’s mother caught him groping her outside a restaurant. According to documents filed yesterday, the man is charged with raping her inside that same business.
Ward is charged with two counts — second-degree rape of a child and communication with a minor for immoral purposes. Bail has been set at $250,000, and his arraignment is in two weeks.
A statement from Seattle Public Schools read:
Seattle Public Schools (SPS) has been notified by the Seattle Police Department (SPD) that City Year employee Gregory Ward was arrested and is being investigated for the rape of a child for an incident occurring off-campus on or around Tuesday, Dec. 31. SPD has informed us that the child is an SPS student. Mr. Ward is currently in custody. SPD shared that Mr. Ward self-disclosed that he had communicated with a minor for immoral purposes via text message.
City Year is a nonprofit organization providing services as a community partner of SPS in several district schools. Mr. Ward worked as a program manager for City Year at Aki Kurose Middle School and South Shore K-8. The district has prohibited Mr. Ward from returning to SPS schools.
SPS is taking these allegations very seriously. The safety and well-being of our students is our top priority, and we are committed to taking appropriate steps to ensure their protection. While we have received no reports of any other alleged acts of misconduct involving Mr. Ward, we are investigating to determine whether any may have occurred. SPS is also evaluating the status of its partnership with City Year in light of this incident.
We are also waiting for a response from City Year. Ward has already been removed from their website.
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