Charges: Ex-Brooklyn Park teacher had sex with student 17 years ago
BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. (KMSP) - A former Brooklyn Park teacher is charged with criminal sexual conduct after allegedly having a sexual relationship with a student 17 years ago.
According to the criminal complaint, during the 2000-2001 school year and summer, Kelli Ann Schuster had an inappropriate relationship with male student while he was in the ninth grade. When the school year began, the student would have been 15 years old, while Schuster would have been 31 years old.
Personnel data from Osseo Area Schools showed at the time Shuster worked at North View Junior High as an English Language Learner (ELL) teacher.
According to the charges, in July of 2017, a probation officer reached out to the Brooklyn Park Police Department after a client described having his first sexual experiences with a teacher while he was in the ninth grade.
In an interview with an investigator, the former student said Schuster was "touchy" and "flirty" with him and one day kissed him after the teacher's aide left the classroom. After that they began "making out" on a usual basis, which later led to sex.
Police reached out to a teacher's aide, who the former student said almost caught the two kissing in the classroom. She told police she had suspected Shuster of having inappropriate relationships with students because she would close and lock door while seeing her "favorite" students, including the alleged victim in this case.
He also told police Shuster signed him up for "summer school," which instead of classes consisted of them having sex in her classroom and at her home. He described the layout of her home, details of the bedroom, the bed's headboard and said she drove a green Ford Escort.
The investigator later interviewed Shuster's ex-husband, who confirmed many of the details of the home described by the former student, including the headboard.
When an investigator spoke to Shuster, she confirmed having the alleged victim as a student and said he "hit on" her and once touched her butt. She said they later had an "intimate relationship" about five to eight years ago, but denied having a sexual relationship with him while he was a student.
Shuster is not in custody.
Full statement from Osseo Area Schools:
"We are deeply troubled to learn that a former teacher has been charged with a serious crime against a minor that is alleged to have occurred 17 years ago.
"Ms. Schuster has not worked in any of our schools since June 2014. We learned about the allegations after Ms. Schuster ended her employment with the district.
"The district cooperated with local authorities during the investigation that resulted in this extremely serious charge, and we encourage anyone who may be the victim of sexual misconduct to contact their local police department."