A Butler County special education teacher is facing charges for allegedly having sex with one of her students.
Jordan Ondish, 24, of Westmoreland County is accused of having sex with a male student inside her Summit Academy classroom in November.
According to court documents, Ondish told police she was in a previous abusive relationship and would talk to her student about that relationship. She told investigators that the relationship with her student grew over time on an emotional level and she then purchased the student a cell phone so they could communicate.
The two then allegedly had sex at least once in early November. The victim told police it was more than once- once in early November and again just before Thanksgiving, according to documents.
The investigation began after staff members found the cell phone in the victim’s room. It contained “explicit conversations between the victim and the defendant,” according to police.
The school allegedly warned Ondish of her behavior and instructed her to “protect her personal space” after the student was seen sitting beside her while behind her desk and having the student in her classroom after work hours.
Ondish had just started working as a teacher for Summit Academy in June. She now faces one charge of institutional sexual assault.
The school released a statement on Monday. It reads “The administration at Summit Academy was made aware of an inappropriate relationship between a teacher and a student and it was immediately reported to the state police. The teacher was then terminated.”
Summit Academy in Herman is a private, residential school for court-adjudicated high school students.
