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Florida high school band director resigns
The Lake Brantley High School band director has resigned amid an internal investigation regarding a possible inappropriate relationship with a female student, a spokesperson for Seminole County Public Schools confirmed to FOX 35 News.
ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. - The Lake Brantley High School band director has resigned amid an internal investigation regarding a possible inappropriate relationship with a female student, a spokesperson for Seminole County Public Schools confirmed to FOX 35 News.
Authorities were first alerted to Brad Wharton's possible relationship with a student back in September after a school counselor alerted the school resource officer to "inappropriate conversations" between Wharton and a student, according to a police report from the Altamonte Springs Police Department obtained by FOX 35 News.
A school admin said the student's parents met with him to discuss "multiple messages sent back and forth" between the 49-year-old teacher and the student, the police report said. He said he combed through thousands of text messages between Wharton and a student, which started in May.
According to an internal investigation report from the school district, the senior student was a member of the band since her sophomore year.
Because of these text messages, it was determined that this teacher-student relationship was "inappropriate," and the school board was alerted, the police report. This was at the end of September, and Wharton was placed on leave at the time until the investigation was complete. He has since resigned.
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‘I care about you, perhaps more than you realize’
Investigators requested a copy of the text message records to determine whether they were criminal in nature, the report said.
There are about 1,200 text messages between May 9 and Sept. 21, the report said. The texts ranged from "good morning" messages, Wharton visiting the girl at her job, statements from Wharton saying he missed her, compliments or references to gifts, texts from Wharton after 8 p.m. and other "significant breaches" of the teacher-student relationship, according to the report.
Wharton not only texted the girl "good morning" 18 times, but asked her for her work schedule and visited her at work. He would also wait outside the store for her to walk her to her car, according to the report.
"Thank you for taking time to talk to me at work! I hope I didn't get you in trouble," one text message read, according to the internal investigative report from the school district.
"Stopped by (store) around 1 to get some fruit and a drink. Sorry I missed you," said another.
"I'm glad it was a great week for you! I care about you, perhaps more than you realize. I only want you to reach your fullest potential," another message reads.
This report also indicated that the girl's class schedule was changed to be in his 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th period classes as a student assistant, the report said. Wharton reportedly texted her saying he missed seeing her on "odd" days and looked forward to "even" days because of how much time they got to spend together.
"I've said it before and I'll say it again … withdrawals! That's a real thing for me. I spend so much time with you during each day (which I absolutely love), then I go home and I don't," one text message said.
In other instances, Wharton bought the girl food and coffee after she started volunteering for him over the summer. There were other complimentary texts regarding her appearance, physique or overall excellence, according to the report.
Over the course of their conversations, Wharton's messages decreasingly referenced band business and instead focused on their personal lives, the report said.
"While most of these took place after school or on weekends, some took place while (the student) was in class, including occasionally when she was actually in the same classroom as Mr. Wharton," the report said.
‘I trust that … you would speak up and say something’
Wharton also addressed the nature of their relationship in the messages, according to the internal report.
"Side note: I trust that if it ever bothered you that I text you, you would speak up and say something," Wharton wrote in a text, according to the report. "I would never want to disrespect you, offend you, or burden you. I just REALLY enjoy talking to you. That's all."
The student told school administration that she "felt internally pressured" to have the text message relationship with Wharton.
"I think I felt a very extreme loss of power, I didn’t know how to express I was uncomfortable…I didn’t feel safe expressing I was uncomfortable. He never made me feel safe to be honest with him," she said, adding that she said she never brought it up because he "would have become upset." She also mentioned that she felt it would "ruin or strain" their relationship had she brought it up, the report added.
In an interview with school administration, Wharton said he knew what he was doing was "unprofessional" and "unethical," according to the report. He also said he had "assumed" the student was 17 years old and did not have her parents' permission to contact her outside of school hours.
"I know what right is, I know what professional is, and this is not it … it's abusive privilege … I am in shock I allowed this to happen," he said, adding that he doesn't believe what he was doing was grooming the student, according to the report.
School district: ‘Wharton had not displayed empathy nor sorrow’
The school district said the following about Wharton and his behavior amid the investigation:
"When interviewed during this investigation, Bradley Wharton had not displayed empathy nor sorrow regarding how his actions had impacted student but he did show remorse at how his behavior would negatively affect his career, his family, and his standing within the LBHS band."
The school district ultimately determined that Wharton violated the applied district and state policies.
While a police report has been filed, it remains unclear at this time if any criminal charges have been or will be filed against Wharton.
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