A Wisconsin teacher who was busted for allegedly “making out” with an 11-year-old male student believes she is ready to be near children again.
Madison Bergmann, 24, who was charged with first-degree child sexual assault in May, was dumped by her fiancée in the wake of the allegations.
The former teacher is currently barred from being any place where children are present but in a motion filed in late July by her attorney, Bergmann wants to know whether she can visit restaurants and shop at stores where there might be kids, the New York Post reported.
Aside from the request to clarify the conditions of her bond, Bergmann’s lawyer has also filed a motion to dismiss the criminal complaint.
Staff members at River Crest Elementary School in Hudson, Wisc., however, are shocked by their former colleague’s requests.
“It’s ridiculous,” one teacher told the outlet. “She has left a wake of destruction at the school, and she thinks she shouldn’t face the consequences for that?”
The teacher explained that Bergmann’s firing resulted in a fifth-grade teacher quitting at another school board meeting.
School board members suspected that teacher knew about Bergmann’s behaviour but did not report it, but they have not been charged with any crime.
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“It’s been a weird summer,” the teacher said.
“We’re all answering parents’ questions. When it comes to kids, everyone is so protective, and rightly so,” they continued. “But when two fifth-grade teachers get fired as part of a sex scandal, you have idea how crazy things can get.”
Bergmann’s alleged abuse of the 11-year-old student was discovered when the boy’s mother overheard her son talking to the teacher on the phone.
His parents checked the phone and allegedly found inappropriate texts between the two, which included messages from the then-teacher allegedly discussing multiple encounters inside the classroom during lunch and after school, according to the criminal complaint.
Bergmann’s alleged messages also detailed how she told the child how much she enjoyed “making out” with him and how he touched her.
The boy’s father went to the school with printouts of the conversations, authorities said at the time.
“That was a dramatic day,” the teacher recalled to the Post. “He was not calm about it, and he was not quiet.”
Bergmann was arrested and released on a $25,000 signature bond.
According to the outlet, she is reportedly living in seclusion on her grandparents’ farm.