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FARGO, N.D. (AP) — A former North Dakota teacher of the year who was found not guilty of having a sexual relationship with a former student has one more step before he returns to school.
The case of West Fargo High School English teacher Aaron Knodel is scheduled to be decided Monday by a state licensing board, nearly one year after he was charged with five felony counts of solicitation or corruption of a minor. He was cleared by a state district court last month and reinstated by the West Fargo School Board earlier this week.
The state Education Practices and Standards Board is reviewing documents in the case, but will take no testimony at Monday's meeting in Bismarck. The group will decide whether to dismiss the case or take disciplinary action, which executive director Janet Welk says could involve coursework, a fine, suspension, revocation "or any number of things if they believe they have enough information" to penalize the teacher.
Welk said the board will consider the investigation by the West Fargo School Board, which said that while Knodel made an error in professional judgment by having long cellphone conversations with the alleged victim, it did not rise to the level that should cost him his job or teaching license.
"We believe that Mr. Knodel's interactions including phone calls with the student were well-intended on his part," David Flowers, superintendent of West Fargo public schools, said in a report to the school board. "In fact, he was fulfilling a challenge by the school presented through professional development activities — to reach out to one or more struggling students, to establish a mentoring relationship, to support and to help such students."
Welk said Friday she had not received any correspondence from the alleged victim's side asking that Knodel be disciplined by the board.
The school board voted unanimously to offer Knodel a job during the upcoming school year, although the position has not been made clear. The board also said the 2014 teacher of the year should receive back pay for the time he was suspended. The decision came after pleas from some people, including Knodel's accuser, to not reinstate him.
Knodel's case is the first on the licensing board's agenda, but not the only one that could involve disciplinary action. Welk said two of the cases involve teachers accused of having sexual relationships with students. One case involves a teacher who allegedly sent 25,000 texts to a student, and another involves accusations of inappropriate touching that dates back 27 years.
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