FISHERS — A former Hamilton Southeastern Schools math teacher was arrested Thursday and charged with two counts of child molesting.
Ian Gray, 38, is accused of inappropriately touching a sixth grade student at least 10 times during the 2017-18 school year, according to court documents filed in Hamilton Superior Court 2.
Gray was hired by the school district in 2007 and taught at Fall Creek Intermediate School at the time of the allegations, the documents said. He resigned Thursday, according to the school district.
The Fishers Police Department began investigating the allegations in May after a mental health professional contacted the Indiana Department of Child Services.
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The student told police Gray regularly sent her as punishment to a "small group room" that sits between two classrooms. She said the door to the room was closed and the windows were covered.
According to court documents, the student told investigators that Gray would sit next to her and touch her while talking to her "as usual" and as "a distraction."
The student's mother said Gray called her at home and said "he did not know how to connect with her daughter and was defiant in the classroom," court documents said. She believed the phone call occurred between April and May 2018.
The student's mother said she contacted Fall Creek Intermediate's school counselor and told him that her daughter was being disciplined privately in the small group room. The counselor told her the school's then-principal Randy Schoeff would contact her "because it was an issue with the teacher."
Schoeff told investigators he retired from the Hamilton Southeastern School District and said he did not have any notes from the 2017-18 school year, according to court documents. He said he recalled the student's parents contacting him about a problem with Gray in the small group room, but "he did not suspect abuse was occurring."
On Thursday, investigators notified school district officials and Gray was removed from the classroom, according to the Fishers Police Department. Gray turned himself in to the Hamilton County Jail.
"We have cooperated fully with the Fishers Police Department since its investigation began, and will continue to do so in coordination with the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office," a statement from Hamilton Southeastern Schools said. "When the investigation commenced, we placed the school employee on administrative leave, per district policy. The employee has since resigned."
Full statement from Hamilton Southeastern Schools
We are aware that a former school employee has been charged with alleged misconduct with a minor student. We have cooperated fully with the Fishers Police Department since its investigation began, and will continue to do so in coordination with the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office. When the investigation commenced, we placed the school employee on administrative leave, per district policy. The employee has since resigned.
We believe strongly in protecting the safety and well-being of our students and that includes working with authorities to investigate allegations of wrongdoing that arise involving any student.
To preserve the integrity of the investigation and protect the privacy of the victim, it is our district’s practice to refrain from publicly discussing this matter. We will continue to support law enforcement and anyone who has been affected by these alleged events.
On Feb. 17, 2023 Gray was sentenced to 8 years. He will serve 3 years in Indiana Department of Corrections, 3 years in residential placement and 3 years probation.
