Why Hire Teacher Under Investigation For Sex With Minor?

SARASOTA, Fla. — Following the arrest of a Booker High School math teacher for possessing child pornography, parents at the school are asking why the teacher was hired in the first place.

Quentin Peterson, 25, was arrested Tuesday, April 24, after police reportedly found images of a topless teen girl on his cell phones and laptops.

Palmetto Police say they’ve been investigating Peterson since May 2017 after receiving a complaint that he was allegedly having sex with a 16-year-old.

At the time, Peterson worked as a music teacher at Lincoln Memorial Middle School in Manatee County. He resigned in September 2017.

Palmetto Police seized Peterson’s electronic devices in June for forensic examination. Peterson was arrested this week when the forensic review of Peterson’s electronic devices found photos of a teen girl naked from the waist up. One photo, dated Dec. 13, 2016, shows Peterson kissing the partially nude girl, according to Palmetto Police.

Police interviewed the teen in the photos. At first, she denied a relationship with Peterson. Eventually, however, she admitted to having sex with Peterson when she was 16 and he was 24.

Now, Booker High School parents are asking why Peterson was hired by the Sarasota School District to teach at a high school while simultaneously being investigated for crimes involving high school-age girls.

"I'm so sick of our children's safety being put last," commented one parent on a Facebook post.

"Was he let go by Manatee County? If so, does Sarasota not check references?" questioned another parent.

Sarasota School District officials say they were never told about the investigation into Peterson. And, since he had not been arrested, there was nothing in his background check that would have alerted the school district to the allegations of inappropriate relationships with minors.

“Until today, he did not have any criminal charges placed against him,” said the Sarasota County School District in a statement released April 24.

However, an investigation by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune tells a different story.

According to the Herald-Tribune, the Florida Department of Education said school districts do have access to information regarding ongoing investigations into employees.

Additionally, the Herald-Tribune discovered that the principal of Peterson's former school, Lincoln Memorial Principal Ed Hundley, gave Peterson a positive recommendation in February, although he knew about the investigation into Peterson.

The Herald-Tribune said Manatee School District investigator Troy Nelson began looking into a report of an inappropriate relationship between Peterson and a minor in May 2017 after being alerted by Child and Protective Services and the Palmetto Police.

The Sarasota School District did assure parents, however, that there is no indication of inappropriate behavior involving Booker High School students.

"According to the Palmetto Police Department, it appears as if none of the students at Booker High School were impacted by his actions,” said the district in its statement. “Mr. Peterson has been placed on administrative leave with no interaction with students as we investigate this matter.”

To read more, see the article in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Image via Palmetto Police