KOKOMO, Ind. — “Am I obligated to do so under state statute?”
Internal emails obtained by WRTV Investigates reveal the then-superintendent of the Taylor Community School Corporation reported a teacher to the Indiana Department of Education in 2011 but stopped short of providing details of the alleged misconduct.
Last month, prosecutors criminally charged Charles Jansen, former Taylor High School teacher, with Vicarious Sexual Gratification with a child under 14 years of age for allegedly directing a child to urinate into a cup to satisfy his “sexual desires.”
While the criminal charges are not related to a student, prosecutors filed court documents that allege Jansen asked students to spit in his drinks, urinate in bottles for money, and paid students for old clothing and shoes.
A student reported Jansen’s behavior to the school district in 2011, court records allege.
Jansen was placed on administrative leave on August 22, 2011 and the school district notified Indiana State Police, according to the current superintendent Steve Dishon.
Jansen resigned from his teaching position on September 14, 2011.
Five days later, on September 19, 2011, then-superintendent John Magers sent an email to Risa Regnier, Director of Educator Licensing and Development at the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE).
WRTV Investigates obtained the following exchange regarding Jansen through a public records request:
- Magers: A teacher has resigned from the corporation for behavior that I would have fired him for had he not resigned. His behavior was not found to be criminal, but immoral and not in line with our community values. Do I have an obligation to report him to your division?
- Regnier: What is the teacher’s name? We have an attorney on staff who opens investigative files on teachers who have misconduct issues even if criminal behavior isn’t resolved. I can pass his name along to her and she may contact you for details.”
- Magers: The teacher’s name is Charles “Chuck” J. Jansen.
- Regnier: I see he’s an English teacher… are you willing to disclose what he did?
- Magers: Am I obligated to do so under statute?
- Regnier: No, but without further information we won’t flag his file or do any further investigation. IF his behavior required a report to (Child Protective Services), I hope you did so.
- Magers: Risa, A detective with the state police was involved in this process as well as the Howard County prosecutor. They determined that no charges would be filed. Also a report to the CPS Hot Line was made and they are not following up.
- Regnier: Ok. Thanks.
Shaunestte Terrell, an attorney for alleged Jansen victims Brok Westfall and his son, said the emails are concerning.
“It’s too bad that no further information was provided to IDOE to start an investigation because it almost certainly would have prevented any further victims and would have made Brok realize that he wasn’t alone,” said Terrell.
WRTV Investigates is working to reach John Magers, who left the school district in 2013.
Current superintendent Steve Dishon said he was a teacher in 2011 and declined to speak with WRTV.
“I have only been the superintendent at Taylor for the past year, so I have no exclusive, first hand, knowledge about the situation,” said Dishon.
WRTV Investigates also contacted the Indiana Department of Education.
“The information provided to IDOE in 2011 included Charles Jansen’s name but lacked requested details about the alleged misconduct, and therefore was not sufficient to open an investigation,” said Molly Williams, Deputy Director of Communications at IDOE. “Consequently, a search of our records returned no investigatory files.”
As WRTV Investigates has reported, schools do not have to report allegations, arrests or charges to IDOE even if the alleged misconduct involves students.
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Indiana law only requires schools to notify IDOE if an employee has been convicted of one of more than 30 charges including rape, kidnapping, child molesting, child seduction and performing sexual conduct in the presence of a minor.
Prompted by WRTV Investigates’ reporting, lawmakers also added public indecency to the list.
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Charles Jansen’s teaching license expired in 2014 and he does not currently hold an active teaching license in Indiana, records show.
Jansen’s expired license could be revoked if he’s convicted of a sex crime, including the one he’s charged with— Vicarious Sexual Gratification in the presence of a minor.
“In light of criminal proceedings, IDOE continues to investigate the allegations against Mr. Jansen,” said Williams in an email to WRTV.
WRTV Investigates asked current Taylor Community School Corporation Superintendent Steve Dishon why Jansen was allowed to resign in 2011 rather than terminate him.
“Charles Jansen, an employee of Taylor Community School Corporation (TCSC) was immediately placed on administrative leave August 22, 2011, and the Indiana State Police were notified after the district was made aware of his questionable conduct with a minor,” said Dishon in an email to WRTV. “Jansen was never allowed to return to the campus”.
Dishon said the district followed the legal due process protocol for a licensed teacher.
“An internal investigation revealed conduct which would have resulted in immediate termination,” said Dishon in an email. “However, because Jansen tendered his resignation on September 14, 2011, during the course of the investigation, the district was left with no additional recourse leaving it in the hands of legal authorities.”
After working for the school district, Jansen went on to work for St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Kokomo, records show.
According to a post on the City of Kokomo’s website praising Jansen in 2022, it said Jansen also worked as associate director of parish life and communications at St. Patrick Catholic Church.
WRTV Investigates has reached out to Jansen and his attorney and we have not received a response.
He has pleaded not guilty.
Jansen is scheduled to be back in court on August 20 and faces up to 12 years behind bars.
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Mike McCarty with Safe Hiring Solutions, a Danville company that provides background screening services and training to more than 1,000 school corporations across the country, said ten years ago many schools were hesitant to disclose why an employee left.
"The reluctance was almost uniformly the standard, they didn't want to talk or give any information,” McCarty said.
Indiana implemented a new law in 2017 that closes some of the gaps and requires schools to contact previous school districts and references and removes the barriers of confidentiality agreements.
“By law, if it's another school, they are required to tell you if they left under suspicion or asked to resign or if there was any issue related to a student,” said McCarty.
Highlights of the 2017 law:
New School Employees:
- Requires reference checks including checking with prior school districts if employed with a school in the past
- Includes public and nonpublic schools
- Adds human trafficking to list of crimes to exclude employment with school
Existing School Employees:
- Requires expanded criminal history check every 5 years.
- Requires schools to check 20% of school employees each year over next 5 years
- Requires state courts to work with the Indiana Department of Education to create a program for sending conviction information to IDOE so that they can review against licensed employees
