Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter

CAT Tracks for March 9, 2007 FORMER VIENNA TEACHER SENTENCED

A lesson to be learned...a teaching career thrown away.

From the WSIL TV Channel 3 website...

Former Vienna Teacher Sentenced

By: Jackie McPherson

JOHNSON CO.--

A former Vienna high school school teacher is sentenced for having sexual contact with a student.

Prosecutors say Jarod Shumaker had a four month sexual relationship with a student at Vienna High school. He was sentenced Thursday for aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a minor.

Shumaker faces 3 years probation. He'll also have to spend 30 days in jail, pay a three-thousand dollar court fine, and register as a sex offender.

A judge honored a plea deal Jarod Shumaker entered last month. Instead of the aggravated sexual assault charge Shumaker had originally faced upon his arrest, the former teacher pled guilty to sexual abuse of a minor. That's a reduced charge that does not require prison time.

The judge says a sex-offender evaluation Shumaker took shows he's not a threat to the community.

"An evaluator applies certain tests and determines whether this person is at risk of re-offending or whether they are considered a sexual predator" says Johnson County State's Attorney Tricia Shelton. "In this case, it was found there was low risk for any of those items."

Because he will register as a sex offender in Illinois-- something his attorney fought- Shumaker will not be able to teach again.

It was at Vienna high school that Shumaker taught band. He pled guilty to sexually abusing one of his students.

"Quite frankly, I think he does have an issue with boundaries like the court says and I do not think he belongs in a classroom. That's what I believe this sentence accomplished" says Shelton.

She says she is satisfied with today's sentence. Shelton's only complaint is that the judge did not order Shumaker to undergo counseling.

Shumaker will begin serving his jail time on June first. He'll get one day's credit for the day he spent in custody when he was arrested.