Teacher At Baptist School Faces Sex Assault, Child Porn Charges

BURBANK, IL — A Burbank school teacher at a private religious school was taken into custody July 1 after she was found to have allegedly engaged in sexual conduct with an underage student. Shannon Griffin, 49, of Oak Lawn has been charged with criminal sexual assault, solicitation of child pornography and other charges, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office announced. She is set to appear Wednesday at the Bridgeview Courthouse for a bond hearing.

Griffin was arrested after a month-long investigation by Cook County Sheriff’s police. According to the charges, Griffin was a teacher at Jordan Baptist School in Burbank where she is said to have engaged in sexual conduct with a minor enrolled at the school. Investigators maintain that Griffin also sent nude pictures and videos of herself and requested nude pictures from the student and another minor enrolled at the school.

The inappropriate conduct began in 2013 and continued up until this past March, the sheriff’s news release said. Griffin has been charged with five counts of criminal sexual assault, one count of solicitation of child pornography, one count of distribution of harmful materials and one count of grooming.

Jordan Baptist is a private K-12 school located at 5040 W 87th St., in Burbank. According to the school’s website, Griffin is the wife of the church pastor, Thomas Griffin. Shannon Griffin teaches 4 and 5 year olds in the school’s kindergarten program and her bio indicates that she "makes learning an enjoyable experience while teaching academics and Christ’s love to every student.”

The couple also have two daughters that teach at the school, which has been in existence since 1992.