Former teacher, coach charged with unlawful sexual relations reportedly involving student
By KMBC Staff
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OLATHE, Kansas (KMBC) — A former teacher and coach at Olathe Northwest High School in Johnson County, Kansas, has been charged in an incident reportedly involving sex with a student.
Steven A. Mesa, 47, has been charged with three counts of unlawful sexual relations with an individual over the age of 16, dating back to incidents that were alleged to have happened between July 1 and Aug. 26, 2022.
“That sort of incident is shocking to me and I can’t understand how a person like that is in the teaching profession,” said Jeffrey Needham, whose children attended Olathe schools. “It’s disgusting.”
“I’m now learning that this was in August is rather shocking as well because normally it takes six months to a year before anybody takes any sort of action on things like that,” parent Tammy Anderson said.
According to a spokesperson with Olathe Public Schools, Mesa had been employed by the district for 21 years.
In a statement, the spokesperson said after learning of allegations against Mesa last month, the district placed Mesa on leave, referred the matter to police, and recommended Mesa’s termination.
A Board of Education agenda shows Mesa’s termination was effective Sept. 1.
“Although we are unable to comment in detail on personnel matters, we can share that our administration was recently made aware of allegations of misconduct by Steve Mesa. Upon learning of these allegations, the district took swift action to place Mesa on leave, refer the matter to local law enforcement, conduct an investigation, and make the recommendation of termination to the Board of Education. The Board of Education took immediate action, and at the September Board meeting, Mesa was terminated,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
“Olathe Public Schools takes all allegations of staff misconduct very seriously. We will not tolerate anything that impacts the wellbeing or safety of our students or staff. We have processes and procedures in place, including working closely with local law enforcement to investigate and address these situations in accordance with our board policies, state and federal laws. We are committed to ensuring that our students are educated in a safe environment.”
In all three counts against Mesa, the student is listed with the same set of initials. SnapChat, Inc. is also listed as a potential witness in the case.
Unlawful sexual relations is a level 5 felony in Kansas.
“It’s sad that young people, that they have to endure that. Sometimes it’s hard to speak up,” Anderson said.
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