UPDATED Monday, May 18, 2009 --- 2:15 p.m.

A former Sun Prairie High School employee accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a 16-year-old student appeared in court today.

Richard Stackhouse has been charged with three counts of Sex Assault of Student by School Staff.

Stackhouse was ordered not to have any contact with the alleged victim. He was also ordered not to have any contact with juveniles, unless supervised by a responsible adult.

According to a criminal complaint, Stackhouse and the girl had sexual contact on three separate occasions in April.

Stackhouse worked as a library assistant at the school before he resigned.

His next hearing is set for June 8, 2009.

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UPDATED Monday, April 20, 2009 --- 3:50 p.m.

The following letter has been mailed today to parents of students at Sun
Prairie High School.

Dear High School Parents,

As you may know, a Sun Prairie High School support staff employee was placed on administrative leave April 15 due to allegations related to inappropriate contact with a high school student. The school district is involved in an ongoing investigation of the matter. The employee submitted a letter of resignation to the school district on April 17. The Sun Prairie Police Department has referred the case to the District Attorney’s Office.

High school staff will be working with the student and the student’s family to ensure they have the support they need. Our first priority is to ensure the student has support during this difficult time. We never want a student involved in this type of tragic situation. We have a reporting system in place and I am pleased to know it worked. In less than 24 hours from the time we were notified of the alleged conduct, the employee was questioned by police and placed on leave.

In this age of instant communication, many students had heard questionable rumors about the situation and exchanged text messages that included wildly inaccurate information. As a result, numbers of students who were not in any way involved in this situation were rumored to be, which was very hurtful to them. We are working with those students, as well, to ensure that they have the support and resources they need. We would appreciate your help in encouraging your children to make thoughtful decisions regarding information they hear or receive via text messages or the Internet so as to avoid defaming or harassing others.

Overall, our school community has been thoughtful and caring during the incidents of the past difficult week. We are proud of the students who asked for help as they grieved on Friday for the friend they lost and the students who helped and consoled those having a hard time. We appreciate the student services staff from the high school and the other schools in the district that came to offer additional help to our students on Friday. Our staff and students handled this difficult day with grace.

Your children are our first priority and we appreciate you entrusting us with their safety, well-being, and education. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me, Paul Keats or any of the high school assistant principals, guidance counselors, or social workers.

Sincerely,

Tim Culver
District Administrator

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UPDATED: Friday, April 17, 2009 --- 9:00 p.m.

A 27-year-old staff member has admitted to having a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old student at Sun Prairie High School.

Parents are shocked and school officials are still trying to find answers.

Jen Borden found out when she got a text message from her daughter. The words could jolt any mother into panic, "mom I forgot to tell you, a staff member at my school got arrested for having sex with a student."

Borden says, "It's a really scary place to raise kids. I mean this time and period is a really scary time for you to raise kids."

Police aren't confirming all of those details but they do say 27-year-old library assistant Richard Stackhouse has admitted to having an inappropriate relationship with a 16-year-old female student at Sun Prairie High School.

Mark Williamson has a daughter at the school. He says, "Very surprised, you know, I wouldn't expect it and with a kid in school it kind of makes me worried."

Parents say they hope the behavior doesn't involve more than one student and school officials say at this point their investigation is still ongoing but they have no reason to believe other parents need to be concerned.

When the allegations surfaced the school district immediately put Stackhouse on leave and they say Friday he submitted his resignation.

Mother Mary Walker says, "That's a big relief, it's always a sense of relief."

Stackhouse has worked at the school for two years and his father David Stackhouse is the school board president.

District Administrator Tim Culver says, "It's terrible. It's a tragedy and it's not what we're about and we're about supporting and promoting student learning and we have to deal with it and we'll deal with it to the extent we have to."

Right now the priority is offering support to this 16 year old victim. In the meantime an shaken school community has been left with a lot of questions.

Police have passed the case along to the Dane County District Attorney on a tentative charge of sexual assault of a child by a school staff person.

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Posted Friday, April 17, 2009 --- 3:27 p.m.

Release from the Sun Prairie Police Department:

The Sun Prairie Police Department received information from the Sun Prairie School District Administration, that they had learned that there may be an inappropriate relationship between a school staff member and a student. The District contacted the police department with that information.

The Sun Prairie Police Department investigated the incident and made contact with Richard A. Stackhouse, 27, from Sun Prairie, a library assistant at the Sun Prairie High School. Mr. Stackhouse cooperated with investigators, and while talking to investigators did admit to having a relationship with a 16 year old female school student.

Mr. Stackhouse is being referred to the Dane County District Attorney on a tentative charger of sexual assault of a child by school staff person.