Former Guidance Counselor From Wayne Admits Seducing Student

By Justin Heinze:

A former Malvern Prep School staff member has pleaded guilty to seducing a student with “highly sexualized” text messages and emails.

Emily Feeney, 40, of Wayne, was charged with institutional sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor, corruption of minors and indecent assault. She was sentenced to five years' probation and will be required to register as a sexual offender for 15 years under Megan's Law, according to Philly.com.

She had been employed as a swim coach and guidance counselor at Malvern Prep, a private, all-boys high school, for nearly two years.

The victim, a member of the swim team who had been assigned to Feeney as his college guidance counselor, was 16 at the time the alleged assault began in the summer of 2014.

The school terminated her employment in May, when authorities began investigating the case, and is fully cooperating with authorities, according to Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan.

“As the director of college counseling and a coach, the defendant was entrusted with extraordinary access and control over Malvern Prep students,” said Hogan in a statement. “She betrayed that trust by trying to seduce a student, even when he asked her to stop.

“The fact that this was a female adult corrupting a male juvenile does not change the criminality of the conduct.”

Authorities were alerted to Feeney’s alleged behavior in May, when the Chester County Detective Child Abuse Unit received a report from the county Department of Children, Youth and Families regarding a Malvern Prep student receiving “high sexualized” emails and texts from his swim teacher and guidance counselor.

According to the district attorney’s office, the subsequent investigation revealed Feeney had kissed the victim, and had emailed him photographs of herself in various stages of undress, including a topless photo.

One email reportedly sent from Feeney to the victim read, “I adore you – always have, always will.”

According to Hogan, when the student rebuffed her, Feeney sent another email: “You can either start talking to me again and respond to me, or we can discuss this in my office Monday. If you ever cared about me, please don’t shut me out. It’s too painful.”