Kenosha teacher fired, alleged 'grooming' relationship with student
KENOSHA, Wis. - A Kenosha teacher accused of forming an inappropriate relationship with a student has been fired, the school district told FOX6 on Sunday.
Prosecutors charged 29-year-old Christian Enwright with 22 misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct. A detective on the case described his behavior as "grooming," according to court filings.
"It’s terrifying," said Brittany Lawton, a KUSD parent who said she has known Enwright since childhood. "We’ve always known that there was something off, there was always something not quite right, but no one knew it was going to get to kids."
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Lawton and other parents have protested against the now former teacher. The school district said his employment was terminated on May 7.
"It’s just horrifying to think this could have been my kid, and it would have been swept the same way," she said. "There is always the risk, but you never think it’s going to be so close to home."
Parents protest, call for firing of Kenosha teacher accused of "grooming" relationship with student
According to a criminal complaint, the Kenosha County Department of Family Services received an anonymous report on Feb. 2. That report claimed Enwright, a teacher at Kenosha School of Technology, had an inappropriate relationship with a 14-year-old student.
The complaint states communication started when the student was 13 years old and in seventh grade and, at one point, he sent the student as many as 608 messages in one week. According to the complaint, a detective on the case recognized the behavior as "manipulation, otherwise known as grooming." That behavior included "giving (the student) special attention, developing secrets, desensitizing and normalizing sexual topics, and pushing personal boundaries."
Kenosha teacher charged, 'grooming' relationship with student
A Kenosha teacher is accused of forming an inappropriate relationship with a student. A detective on the case described his behavior as "grooming."
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Kenosha Unified School District statement (issued May 10):
Kenosha Unified cannot comment on individual personnel matters. However, the District takes seriously all employee performance and misconduct that could jeopardize the health, safety and welfare of students. When personnel matters arise, the District must follow a deliberative process in line with District policy and procedures to ensure an employee's rights are respected under the law, while balancing the primary goal of ensuring student safety and well-being.
Kenosha Police Chief Patrick Patton statement (issued May 12):
"The Kenosha Police Department is comprised of men and women who are dedicated to protecting children in our community. The charging decision by the Kenosha County District Attorney’s Office is the culmination of countless hours of work by our Detectives to get to the truth of Mr. Enwright’s actions. We have worked in collaboration with the district attorney’s office to present all of the known information to bolster a charging decision. However, our work is not yet finished in cases like this where alleged grooming and exploitation of children in our schools has occurred. As a department, we have begun the arduous process of working with legislators to correct these adult behaviors through proactive legislation and new state laws that will properly address behavior such as this with strict language and punishments."