An Orwigsburg woman is accused of having inappropriate sexual contact with a male student at Hamburg Area High School, where she’s employed as a paraprofessional.
According to information from the Berks County District Attorney’s office, Krista Stump, 34, turned herself in to authorities on Thursday morning at District Court in Hamburg.
Stump’s charged with the following:
- Institutional Sexual Assault (Felony 3)
- Unlawful sexual contact with a minor (Felony 3)
- Indecent assault of a person under 16 years old (Misdemeanor 2)
She posted $25,000 unsecured bail on Thursday. Stump now faces a preliminary hearing on March 9 before District Judge Kim Bagenstose.
Orwigsburg Woman Charged with Sexual Assault of Student at Hamburg Area
An investigation into Stump started on Feb. 13. That’s when detectives at Berks County DA’s office got a tip on Stump from Childline Referral with the state’s Dept. of Human Services.
The tip said a paraprofessional at Hamburg High, Stump, had “inappropriate physical contact” with a 15-year-old male student. Detectives interviewed the student and he said Stump came on to him at the school. He said Stump had contact with him when they were alone in a classroom.
Stump also asked the student to add her to his Snapchat account, the DA’s office says.
Once the student added her to his Snapchat account, Stump started sending him messages he described as “weird” and “sexual” in nature. Then came the nude photos of herself, the alleged victim in this case says.
The alleged inappropriate contact with the student at Hamburg lasted for about 2-3 weeks, he told detectives.
Stump Hired as a Paraprofessional
Stump got hired by Hamburg Area School District as a paraprofessional during a school board meeting on Nov. 18, 2019. Her employment was to start the next day, according to documents available from Hamburg.
She was hired to replace another paraprofessional at the school. Her pay rate was set at $13.34 per hour for 6.5 hours a day. She was in attendance at the meeting when she was hired.
Hamburg’s job description for a paraprofessional is as follows from a job posting just posted on Tuesday at the district’s website:
- “Assists the classroom teacher in a variety of settings by performing assigned duties related to the learning process such as assembling and preparing instructional materials and monitoring students under the direction/supervision of the teacher / Principal and general supervision of the Director of Special Education. May assist with translation and/or communication using second language skills when possible. Tasks include but are not limited to, performing instructional activities planned by the teacher, giving the teacher feedback on student’s progress and assisting in clerical duties, as assigned.”
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