Time to update those yearbooks.
Suspended in 2003 in Grove City.
August 22, 2008 - Daniel Konnen, 29, a former music and band teacher who was suspended in 2003 for a web site he created as a college student, was arrested August 8 in Elizaville, NY, where he was head camp counselor at Camp Eagle Hill. After his arrest, Konnan resigned from
Westminster College.
He is accused of secretly taping a 15-year-old boy after encouraging the camper to masturbate in his room. The camp director asked police to investigate Konnen who was interviewed Aug. 8 and arrested. Charges include promoting the sexual performance of a child, possessing a sexual performance by a child under 16 and endangering the welfare of a child.
Suspended in 2003 from his teaching job in Grove City, he resigned in February 2004.
Konnen was a Grove City music teacher and assistant band director when school officials discovered a Web site he had created as a Grove City College student.In New York, a second camp counselor was arrested during the investigation when investigators discovered he had had provided a Playboy magazine to a 13-year-old boy who was also at the camp. Twenty-six year old Jesse Garcia of West Harrison, NY, was arrested for endangering the welfare of a child.
The Web site contained pictures of Konnen and friends at a Hickory High School band camp, a list of favorite songs, a scene from “South Park” and off-color jokes. Grove City School Board suspended Konnen in March 2003 for “immorality, incompetence, intemperance and persistent negligence.”
Konnen lives in Hermitage, PA. The camp is about 95 miles north of New York City.
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ONLINE RESOURCE: The Standards and Practices Commission at the Pennsylvania Department of Education maintains and online list of Teaching Certificate Actions taken dating back to 2004 against teaching certificates. Also, see their FAQ
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TT - No actions found for Konnen.
April 23, 2003 - School board: Teacher's personal web site is grounds for dismissal
The state's teachers union has vowed to defend his right to free expression on the web, arguing that the site has nothing to do with his in-school behavior. The teachers union plans to file a grievance on Konnen's behalf, Park said, adding, "It may come down to a First Amendment issue."
