Joseph J. Ruggieri (New Kensington, Pennsylvania), 40, English teacher at Plum Senior High School, Plum Borough School District, Plum, Pennsylvania, "sexual relationship with a minor female student" 2nd Plum HS teacher accused of having sexual relationship with student charged Plum police said an investigation into an unrelated student-teacher relationship that began on Feb. 2 revealed that Joseph Ruggieri III, 40, was involved in a sexual relationship with a minor female student. Ruggieri is an English teacher at the high school and the vice president of the Plum Borough Education Association, which represents the district's 268 teachers. Authorities said the relationship involved inappropriate conduct that occurred at Ruggieri’s house. The Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office was contacted on Sunday and informed of the relationship in addition to the investigation’s findings. The Plum Police Department subsequently charged Ruggieri with one count of institutional sexual assault and one count of corruption of minors. He was arrested Tuesday night at his home and taken to Allegheny County Jail. Continue reading... http://www.wpxi.com/news/news/local/2nd-plum-hs-teacher-accused-having-sexual-relation/nkC89/ Tags:
A second Plum HS teacher accused of having sex with a student Police say Joseph Ruggieri, 40, was involved in a sexual relationship with a teenage girl under the age of 18. The relationship involved inappropriate conduct at Ruggieri's home, police said ... The investigation showed that Ruggieri started meeting with the girl at the CCAC Boyce campus in Monroeville, and sometime around Christmas, she drove to his home in New Kensington. Police said they learned about Ruggieri's alleged relationship with the student while investigating a separate report of a sexual relationship involving another student and a different teacher. Continue reading... http://www.wtae.com/news/a-second-plum-hs-teacher-accused-of-having-sex-with-a-student/31325436
Second Plum teacher arrested, accused of sex with student Joseph J. Ruggieri, 40, of Plum, is an English teacher and vice president of the Plum Borough Education Association that represents the district's 268 teachers. Plum police arrested Ruggieri about 7 p.m. Tuesday in his home, Chief Jeffrey Armstrong said. Ruggieri is charged with one count each of institutional sexual assault and corruption of minors. The student told police she had sex with Ruggieri in his home more than once, according to a criminal complaint, which did not provide her age but said she was a minor. They began talking on the phone and sending text messages in late 2014. The student also told police she and Ruggieri would meet in the parking lot of the Community College of Allegheny County's Boyce Campus in Monroeville. Continue reading... http://triblive.com/news/adminpage/7798199-74/police-plum-teacher
2nd Plum Teacher Accused Of Inappropriate Relationship With Student Charged Court paperwork shows Joseph Ruggieri was arrested and charged Tuesday with institutional sexual assault, corruption of minors and sexual contact with a student. He has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Feb. 25. Ruggieri is the vice president of the Plum teachers’ union. Continue reading... http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2015...ppropriate-relationship-with-student-charged/
Second teacher at Plum facing charges of inappropriate conduct with student Joseph Ruggieri, 40, of New Kensington, teaches English at the high school, its website shows. He faces a corruption of minors charge and one charge of institutional sexual assault, according to online court records. Mr. Ruggieri was arrested at his home today and taken to the Allegheny County Jail, according to Plum Borough police Chief Jeff Armstrong. According to Plum Borough police, Mr. Ruggieri was allegedly involved a sexual relationship with a female student and the two engaged in inappropriate conduct at his residence. The victim, who was unnamed in an affidavit of probable cause, was a minor when she Mr. Ruggieri began their relationship. She told investigators that she began speaking with Mr. Ruggieri about non-school related issues towards the end of 2014. According to the affidavit, the student started meeting with the teacher outside of school in December, and she had sex with him on more than one occasion in his residence before Christmas. She told investigators she last spoke to him on Feb. 9. Chief Armstrong said police found out about the relationship while investigating another alleged teacher/student relationship at the school earlier this month. Continue reading... http://www.post-gazette.com/local/e...ate-conduct-with-student/stories/201502170227
2nd teacher arrested for sex with student at Pa. school; suspect is teachers' union VP TribLive.com is reporting that the accused suspect is Joseph J. Ruggieri, 40, an English teacher and vice president of the Plum Borough Education Association that represents the district's 268 teachers. He makes $101,500 a year. Continue reading... http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2015/02/2nd_teacher_arrested_for_sex_w.html
Police: Arrested Plum Teacher Met Female Student Outside Of School Several Times Joseph Ruggieri, 40, an English teacher and the vice president of the education association, was arrested on Tuesday at his home in New Kensington. He is charged with institutional sexual assault and corruption of a minor. Police say he and a female student frequently met outside of the school. According to the criminal complaint, the female student told police Ruggieri also invited her to his home, where they had sex on several occasions. In addition, police say Ruggieri may have been involved with several victims over a several years. Continue reading... http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2015...male-student-outside-of-school-several-times/
Plum School District considers fraternization limits as 2 teachers accused of sex with students A suburban school district where two teachers are accused of having sex with students has no policy to prevent fraternization between them. At least one school board member and a parent hope that changes soon. “I want this in place so employees can see in black and white that we will not tolerate inappropriate behavior,” Plum school director Joseph Tommarello said Wednesday. Superintendent Timothy Glasspool said although a code of conduct exists for teachers under the Pennsylvania Department of Education's Professional Standards and Practices Commission, it restricts only sexual harassment and sexual relationships. Tommarello's proposal would restrict employees from entertaining, socializing or spending extra time with students so they don't forge an unprofessional relationship. Continue reading... http://triblive.com/news/allegheny/7801474-74/ruggieri-plum-students
Parents call for new policies after arrests of 2 Plum HS teachers Plum Borough School District officials said during a school board meeting Tuesday night that two teachers who have been charged in connection with having sexual relationships with students are an embarrassment. The main consensus from parents who spoke during the meeting: they want to see some kind of policy in place that will protect their children. In the last couple of weeks, investigators arrested Jason Cooper, a high school science teacher, and Joseph Ruggieri III, a high school English teacher. Continue reading... http://www.wpxi.com/news/news/local/parents-call-new-policies-after-arrests-2-plum-hs-/nkJDH/
Parents of Plum students demand protection against sexual impropriety by teachers Because of two Plum High School teachers being arrested and accused of having sex with female students, four residents who spoke at Tuesday night's school board meeting said changes are needed. “My two daughters are heartbroken over what has happened,” Ed Helbling, 51, said. “Don't let the problem be legislated. Develop new ideas to protect our kids.” The residents took the board and administration to task over what they characterized as a lack of action since the arrests this month of Jason Cooper and Joseph Ruggieri. Continue reading... http://triblive.com/news/allegheny/7842701-74/plum-students-board
Plum School Board Holds First Meeting Since Arrest Of 2 Teachers The Plum School Board met Tuesday evening for its first regular meeting since sex allegations surfaced against two high school teachers. Several parents, mostly fathers, addressed the board asking they enact new, strict policies regarding teacher conduct with students, even on social media. Superintendent Timothy Glasspool told KDKA the administration is working on new measures, but he wouldn’t elaborate on what they are or when they might be adopted. Continue reading... http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2015...lds-first-meeting-since-arrest-of-2-teachers/
Second Plum teacher accused of sex with student charged with witness intimidation A Plum High School teacher charged with having sex with a student was accused Friday of intimidating the alleged victim. Joseph Ruggieri, 40, of Plum, who was vice president of the Plum Borough Education Association, contacted the victim “several times” via Facetime, a video telephone chat service, and asked her about statements she made to law enforcement, according to a complaint filed by Plum police Detective Mark Focareta. ... According to the affidavit filed to support the witness intimidation charge, Ruggieri told the victim, “My livelihood will be ruined,” “My kid's life will be ruined” and “I miss you.” ... The victim told police that she didn't know what to do and was afraid to notify authorities for fear that she may be in trouble, Focareta wrote. The victim's mother notified police Friday about the contact between Ruggieri and her daughter, the complaint stated. Continue reading... http://triblive.com/news/adminpage/7966994-74/ruggieri-charged-police
Teacher accused of having sex with student facing new intimidation charge A Plum High School teacher who was arrested and charged with having sex with a student last month was charged Friday with intimidating the alleged victim, according to a criminal complaint. An arrest warrant was issued Joseph Ruggieri. As of 9 p.m., he was not in police custody. The complaints states that the victim’s mother told police that Ruggieri, 40, contacted her daughter “several times” via FaceTime. The woman’s daughter said Ruggieri directly asked her about statements she made to law enforcement and made the statements, "My livelihood will be ruined," and "My kid's life will be ruined,” according to the complaint. Ruggieri also allegedly told her, “I miss you.” Additionally, the victim told police that she did not know what to do and was afraid to notify authorities for fear that she may be in trouble. Investigators said they believe Ruggieri directly influenced the victim’s testimony, warranting the new intimidation of a witness charge. Continue reading... http://www.wpxi.com/news/news/local/teacher-accused-having-sex-student-facing-new-inti/nkWYY/
