July 26, 2007 - Keir Hansen, 33, a fifth-grade teacher at Sarah Noble Intermediate School, is alleged to have made fraudulent purchases and charged them to a fire department. A warrant charged him with third-degree larceny, a class D felony related to thefts of amounts more than $1,000.
He was released on bond. Next court date is August 6.
TT - It's always a debate whether to post a news story or not. It sounds like a petty case that involved poor judgement, one of the main reasons we ignore most PTA and school fund thefts, even by teachers. One of the comments at the news site, however, tipped the balance.
I dont have anger towards him. i said i liked him and he was a great teacher. BUT when my son found out about his arrest, he was SHOCKED! do you know what he said...he said wow, i looked up to him. the kids in sarah noble have had enough issues this year. do they need more??It's the very reason why the arrest and prosecution of a teacher is a tragedy. Not for the teacher, but for students whose first interaction with authority is with a school teacher. How school authorities respond constitutes a life lesson. Not just for the one student, but the chain of students in the teacher's current classes and every class he or she ever taught.
SENTENCED: Hansen must pay off the debt he incurred, write letters of apology to his victims, and perform 20 hours of community service. In exchange, if he doesn't violate any laws over the next year, his criminal record will be erased as a first-time offender. He's still on paid leave.
Oct 2 - Hansen resigned effective Sept. 14. With his resignation, Hansen retains his state teacher certification.
