A special education teacher at Newfane High School was arrested for allegedly having an inappropriate relationship with a student there. 50 year old Allan Grogan was charged with sexually abusing the student who is under the age of 17. It's unclear how long the alleged relationship went on between Grogan and the student but it's believed there were at least four incidents of sexual contact. Some of these incidents happened at the school.
Recently the victim's mother noticed suspicious activity on a personal cell phone and told officials. "The nature of who the student was talking to, the fact the student was talking to what they believe to be was a teacher," Niagara County Sheriff James Voutour said.
The Newfane Central School District has been working closely with the Sheriff's Department during this investigation which started less than two weeks ago. The School District's superintendent says Grogan was suspended Monday morning before he was arrested Tuesday afternoon. "It's a big shock and we're disheartened by it, but we're working with the Sheriff and doing everything we can to deal with the situation effectively," Newfane School District Superintendent Gary Pogorzelski said. "We're working with the family, providing counseling... our concern is the safety of the kids."
Some students who know the teacher say they were very surprised. "He seemed like a cool guy... I didn't picture this coming out," one student said on Wednesday after hearing about the arrest.
Grogan has been with the district for several years and has worked in other school districts, which is sparking a larger investigation. "He's been with Newfane about six years but has taught in other school districts and that is part of our investigation in other school districts," Sheriff Voutour said. "At this point there is nothing that indicates there are other victims but it is something we look at."
Background checks have shown that Grogan has a clean record, but now he's facing several charges including endangering the welfare of a child and sexual abuse. He was released after posting bail and is scheduled to be in court for a felony hearing next month.
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