Update: Former Teacher at LR's Mount St. Mary Academy Pleads Guilty
By: KARK 4 News
Updated: January 24, 2013
Update (January 24, 2013):
A former teacher at Little Rock's Mount St. Mary Academy has pleaded guilty to sexual assault of a student.
Kelly O'Rourke, 41, made the plea in an appearance before Pulaski County Circuit Judge Barry Sims today.
She received a 15-year suspended sentence and 120 days in jail.
Original story (June 7, 2012):
Nearly three months after allegations surfaced of a coach having an inappropriate sexual relationship with a student at Little Rock's Mount St. Mary Academy, two former school employees have been arrested.
Charges have been filed in Little Rock District Court against Kathy Griffin, 55, and Kelly O'Rourke, 40.
O'Rourke is charged with sexual assault in the 1st degree and Griffin is charged with failure to notify by mandated reporter.
O'Rourke's arrest affidavit states that she was involved with a student in a sexual relationship while a teacher at the school. The charge against O'Rourke is a felony.
Griffin's arrest affidavit states that she failed to notify the school administrator or the child abuse hotline after she found out about a sexual relationship between another teacher and a student. The charge against Griffin is a misdemeanor.
Back in March, the school did not identify two workers it said were fired after the accusations.
At that time, the school's principal only issued a statement that said:
"Based on the findings of an internal investigation by Mount St. Mary Academy and a concurrent investigation by the Little Rock Police Department, a member of the MSM faculty has been terminated for violation of Mount St. Mary policy governing conduct of faculty and staff. The employee was placed on Administrative Leave on Sunday, March 11, 2012 immediately after information was received by MSM concerning the employee's conduct. This immediate action was taken to remove the employee from the MSM campus and to protect the safety and security of our students. The termination action was taken today by Mount St. Mary Academy upon learning of the findings of the investigation by the Little Rock Police Department.
As part of Mount St. Mary's internal investigation into events related to this matter, a second employee placed on administrative leave On Monday, March 12, has been terminated for failure to adhere to state-mandated reporting requirements.
Mount St. Mary's actions with regard to this situation were taken to protect the safety and security of our students which is our foremost priority. In as much as this issue involves pending legal proceedings, and with respect to rights of individual privacy protected by law, Mount St. Mary will have no statements on the details of the allegations."
According to the March police report, the victim in this case disclosed to her parents that she had been involved in a relationship with a 40-year-old employee of the school since 2010.
When the principal was informed about this situation, she immediately contacted the school administration and the child abuse hotline.
A former teacher at Little Rock's Mount St. Mary Academy has pleaded guilty to sexual assault of a student.
Kelly O'Rourke, 41, made the plea in an appearance before Pulaski County Circuit Judge Barry Sims today.
She received a 15-year suspended sentence and 120 days in jail.
Original story (June 7, 2012):
Nearly three months after allegations surfaced of a coach having an inappropriate sexual relationship with a student at Little Rock's Mount St. Mary Academy, two former school employees have been arrested.
Charges have been filed in Little Rock District Court against Kathy Griffin, 55, and Kelly O'Rourke, 40.
O'Rourke is charged with sexual assault in the 1st degree and Griffin is charged with failure to notify by mandated reporter.
O'Rourke's arrest affidavit states that she was involved with a student in a sexual relationship while a teacher at the school. The charge against O'Rourke is a felony.
Griffin's arrest affidavit states that she failed to notify the school administrator or the child abuse hotline after she found out about a sexual relationship between another teacher and a student. The charge against Griffin is a misdemeanor.
Back in March, the school did not identify two workers it said were fired after the accusations.
At that time, the school's principal only issued a statement that said:
"Based on the findings of an internal investigation by Mount St. Mary Academy and a concurrent investigation by the Little Rock Police Department, a member of the MSM faculty has been terminated for violation of Mount St. Mary policy governing conduct of faculty and staff. The employee was placed on Administrative Leave on Sunday, March 11, 2012 immediately after information was received by MSM concerning the employee's conduct. This immediate action was taken to remove the employee from the MSM campus and to protect the safety and security of our students. The termination action was taken today by Mount St. Mary Academy upon learning of the findings of the investigation by the Little Rock Police Department.
As part of Mount St. Mary's internal investigation into events related to this matter, a second employee placed on administrative leave On Monday, March 12, has been terminated for failure to adhere to state-mandated reporting requirements.
Mount St. Mary's actions with regard to this situation were taken to protect the safety and security of our students which is our foremost priority. In as much as this issue involves pending legal proceedings, and with respect to rights of individual privacy protected by law, Mount St. Mary will have no statements on the details of the allegations."
According to the March police report, the victim in this case disclosed to her parents that she had been involved in a relationship with a 40-year-old employee of the school since 2010.
When the principal was informed about this situation, she immediately contacted the school administration and the child abuse hotline.
