Resignation accepted for Sun Prairie teacher accused of recording students
Quaglieri appeared in court Tuesday for a scheduling conference, where his trial date was set.
MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - The Sun Prairie Area School District Board of Education has accepted the resignation of a teacher accused of recording students while they were in the bathroom, it announced Monday.
Administrators said in a statement that the decision was made based on a recommendation from the school district’s attorney and was supported by the district.
Matthew Quaglieri was charged with three counts of producing child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Wisconsin. He has been on unpaid leave since Oct. 7.
The district outlined several reasons for why it had chosen to accept his resignation, rather than terminating his employment.
The district noted that as part of his resignation, it requested that Quaglieri’s teaching license be surrendered without waiting for the state investigation to be completed. This way, he cannot attain future employment throughout the state.
The district also stated that the move prevents alleged victims from needing to become involved within the termination process. Employees can challenge termination through a hearing, which SPASD said would require alleged victims to testify.
SPASD said the decision will not hinder its cooperation with the investigation and allows for closure to help families move forward.
“We want to reiterate that student and staff safety is a priority, and we will always make decisions based on what is best for our students,” district leaders said in the joint statement. “We will continue to support students and staff in every way possible.”
After a scheduling conference Tuesday, a U.S. attorney’s office spokesperson stated that a trial for Quaglieri will take place starting on May 15, 2023. Quaglieri’s attorney wrote a letter to the judge, saying the defendant walked into the school bathroom with an iPad under his arm and took videos of children. The attorney wrote that Quaglieri found the videos arousing and did not target any specific children. There was also no physical contact with the students.
Quaglieri was a teacher at Prairie View Middle School at the time of the incident. Sun Prairie school district officials sent a message out to families last week, stating Quaglieri had been released from custody and would be living with family members outside of Dane County.
If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in federal prison on each count.
Click here to download the NBC15 News app or our NBC15 First Alert weather app.
Copyright 2022 WMTV. All rights reserved.
