Middle School Special Education Teacher Charged with Rape

The teacher, Darren Hunter of Madison Middle School, was charged in early Feb. 2022 with third-degree rape for an event that occurred in August 2021. The incident did not happen on district property nor during school hours.

I had been tracking this story since a reader alerted me to it and, luckily for me, the West Seattle Blog has actual journalists who tracked down the entire story quickly.

Beyond the obvious issue of the actual crime is the fact that SPS didn't know about it until this week (and I suspect that was me asking questions). According to SPS Communications:

• The individual who has been charged is currently on administrative leave, which means they still are an employee. A determination of future status will be made once the case is concluded. However, just to note, that means that Hunter was in the classroom from Feb until just this week. 
  

• The district has an agreement with local law enforcement to work together on cases involving child sexual abuse or assault. In all other instances, the district is not notified directly. Isn't rape a form of assault? If someone employed at SPS is charged with a felony involving the physical hurting of another person, the district didn't ask to be notified about that? 
• SPS is working on self-reporting guidelines, which would be a change in working conditions and be bargained across all labor partners. Is that in the new contract? `
  

From the West Seattle Blog story (bold mine):

Hunter, 51, was charged in February with third-degree rape because of an incident at his home in Kent in August of last year involving a then-43-year-old woman he had been dating. The court documents say she contacted police in November to say he had raped her in August, via sexual contact to which she did not give consent. 

4:30 PM UPDATE: Prosecuting Attorney’s Office spokesperson Casey McNerthney says Hunter pleaded guilty this afternoon to a reduced charge of fourth-degree assault with sexual motivation, a gross misdemeanor. 

McNerthney explains: “After the filing of charges, the defense provided the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office with additional information, including text communications between the victim/survivor and the defendant that occurred after the assault. Based upon this new information and after receiving defense mitigation, the KCPAO believed that a reduction of charge was appropriate. Senior Deputy Prosecutors twice met with the victim/survivor and her advocate to discuss the case and the reduction in charge prior to extending an offer to defense. The victim and an advocate were in court today for Mr. Hunter’s guilty plea.” He will be sentenced later this year.

So where does that leave the situation for SPS? Mr. Hunter may get probation or 30 days in jail; I don't know the sentencing guidelines for this kind of thing. 

It sounds like the texts that the King County Prosecutor's office found must have seemed to indicate it was a date gone terribly wrong but should he be placed back in the classroom? What will parents of students in his classroom think?