Robert Walrath, 27, 5th-grade teacher at Compass Charter Middle School, Polk County Public Schools, Bartow, Florida, "charged Walrath with two counts of transmission of harmful material to a minor (a felony) and battery (a misdemeanor)" Previously taught at: Southwest Elementary School, Polk County Public Schools, Lakeland, Florida ________________________________________ Polk teacher fired after allegations of inappropriate conduct Robert Walrath worked at Compass Charter Middle School in Bartow. Investigators say he sent a 12-year-old girl sexually explicit messages over the messaging app Kik. They also say he would give her unwanted hugs and touch her buttocks. Walrath told investigators the touching was inadvertent. A Polk County teacher has been fired for crossing the line with a student ... Walrath told investigators the touching was inadvertent. Bartow police charged Walrath with two counts: transmission of harmful material to a minor (a felony) and battery ... Continue reading... http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/story/...ed-after-allegations-of-inappropriate-conduct Tags:
Teacher fired for inappropriate texts, touching student In January, investigators say the teacher at Compass Middle, Robert Walrath, inappropriately hugged one of his students, touched her on the buttocks, sent her a picture of himself bare-chested, and shared several sexually explicit text messages with her. ... Bartow police were forwarded the complaint from the school's resource officer, who had been contacted by the girl's 19-year-old brother. Investigators have forwarded their findings to the state attorney's office. In the police report, the student tells detectives Walrath whispered in her ear, "I had a sexual dream about you… you sat on my lap... I took off your shirt. You took off your pants." Detectives say they also retrieved a vulgar text message exchange. "At least one of the text messages he sent her was sexually provocative, telling her what she could do with part of his anatomy," said Deputy Chief Dave Wyant. The text, obtained from the police report, read: "HAHA SIT ON IT N ROTATE." Walrath, previously a 4th grade teacher at Southwest Elementary in Lakeland, had another classroom issue in 2009. The state sought to have Walrath's teaching license suspended for a tactic he'd used to embarrass one of his students. In a settlement, they issued him a letter of reprimand. "It's very disappointing, but it seems to be happening a lot more," added parent Chad Pridgen. Earlier this month a female teacher in Lakeland was arrested for allegedly having multiple sexual encounters with one of her 17-year-old students. In January ... Continue reading... http://www.wtsp.com/story/news/loca...robert-walrath-teacher-student-texts/8018403/
