School Nurse Confesses To Sexual Misconduct

Last updated Wednesday, November 14, 2007 10:19 PM CST in News

By Melissa Sherman
THE MORNING NEWS

    ROGERS -- A Green Forest school nurse was arrested in connection with sexual misconduct with a student.

    Jennifer Cisco, 30, of Oak Grove was arrested by Green Forest Police Department on Wednesday after an investigation prompted on Monday by rumors floating around the high school, said Sgt. Brad Handley.

    School resource officer Cpl. Gaylon Riggs initiated the investigation after hearing some of the rumors and then passed it along to Handley on Wednesday morning.

    Handley interviewed Cisco on Wednesday morning and she denied having sexual relations with a 17-year-old boy but admitted to providing two 17-year-old male students with beer.

    Cisco was brought back to the department for a follow up interview later that day and Handley provided her with physical evidence he gathered. Cisco then confessed to having sexual relations with the student on two separate occasions, he said.

    The sexual misconduct and providing the students with alcohol did not take place on school property or at Cisco's residence, Handley said.

    To Handley's knowledge Cisco has no prior arrest record.

    Cisco was charged in connection with two Class A felony counts of first-degree sexual assault and two misdemeanor counts of knowingly furnishing alcohol to a minor. Cisco was being held Wednesday in the Carroll County Jail awaiting a bond hearing.

    Punishment for Class A sexual assault is 15 to 30 years in prison.

    Handley said the investigation is continuing. Whether further charges are pending depends on the outcome of the interviews, he added.

    Cisco began her career with the high school in the 2006 winter semester, said Principal Rebecca Brasel. Besides being the school nurse Cisco was also the district's wellness coordinator, Brasel added.

    Brasel declined to comment on the investigation and referred questions to School Board President Brian Ayers.

    Ayers said Cisco was a "very good employee" since her hiring. School officials could not comment further on a Cisco's personnel file but Ayers said she's currently on a paid leave of absence.

    Ayers was informed of the investigation by Riggs on Wednesday and was told there were subsequent rumors which started after an investigation was opened. Ayers said he hadn't heard the initial rumors circulating around the school on either Monday or Tuesday.

    The school recently received a grant for $10,000 to start a school-based health clinic study. Cisco applied for the grant and the school was rather excited about getting the program off the ground, Ayers said.

    Chief John Bailey declined to release further information regarding the investigation since minors were involved. Prosecuting Attorney Tony Rogers declined to comment further on the investigation.

    Reader Comments (6 comment(s))


    The following comments are provided by readers and are the sole responsibility of their authors. The Morning News does not review comments before their publication, nor do we guarantee their accuracy. By publishing a comment here you agree to abide by our comment policy. If you see a comment that violates our policy, please notify the web editor.

    electronicmaji wrote on Nov 15, 2007 5:10 PM:

    " Sexual Assault? Last I checked Age of Consent was 16 in Arkansas! 15-30 years for having sex with a two 17 year old boys on private property? Doesn't make sense at all. "

    maljoir wrote on Nov 16, 2007 5:11 AM:

    " The last time you checked was wrong, you might want to re-check. "

    electronicmaji wrote on Nov 16, 2007 2:13 PM:

    " http://www.moraloutrage.net/staticpages/index.php?page=Arkansas The law is outlined here (a) A person commits sexual assault in the first degree if the person engages in sexual intercourse or deviate sexual activity with another person, not the person's spouse, who is less than eighteen (18) years of age and: (1)(A) The actor is employed with: (3)(A) Is an employee in the victim's school or school district, a temporary caretaker, or a person in a position of trust or authority over the victim. Althought frankly 15-30 years for sex with a 17 year old even while being a teacher is wrong. The punishment should fix the crime. Point and case; even with a confession this case might not get of the ground. Oh and apparently the age of consent in Arkansas is 14. "

    catqueen wrote on Dec 11, 2007 8:20 AM:

    " It is amazing to me that anyone has any type of tolerance for this behavior. First of all, anyone in ANY type of position of authority over someone be it nurse, doctor, police officer, teacher, minister or whatever should NOT be sexually or intimately involved with ANYONE related to their position. That alone makes it ethically and morally wrong and SHOULD make it criminally wrong if it is not already. Second, what kind of degenerate must you be as an "adult" to WANT to be sexually involved with a teenager? How pathetic that an "adult" can be on the same level emotionally as a teenager to think they are "in love". That type of behavior is clearly predatory and sexually deviant. The perpetrators are absolutely emtionally deficient and mentally disturbed. They have absolutely no personal or professional boundaries and simply cannot be trusted with our youth. It's disgusting what is going on in our schools with teachers, school nurses, administrators! It needs to stop! "

    ruralmom wrote on Jun 23, 2008 2:55 PM:

    " It is a little more complicated than "the age of consent is 14". The general age of consent is 15. However, if accused of rape against someone 14 or younger, "It is an affirmative defense to a prosecution that the actor was not more than (3) years older than the victim". Meaning statutory only applies if there is more than 3 years difference in the kids' ages.

    Besides exempting teenagers for fooling around consentually, there are exceptions that make it a crime for people employed by the Department of Corrections, in "positions of trust and authority" over the minor to engage in activity that is allowable for others. See AR Legal Code Title 5 (Criminal Code) Subtitle 2 (Offenses Against the Person) Chapter 14 (Sexual Offenses) http://arkleg.state.ar.us "

    ruralmom wrote on Jun 23, 2008 3:01 PM:

    " Which means she could be charged with sexual assualt, rape, sexual indecency with a child, If they were at a park or other public location she could get public sexual indecency and/or indecent exposure. Sexual Assualt was probably just the charge that the officers felt best fit the circumstances as reported. As in many other states, because Ms. Cisco held "a position of trust and authority," the age of consent does not apply. "


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