This photo, posted on social media, shows accused teacher Brett McGee with his family at his youngest child's baptism this past fall.
Peabody ag teacher accused of child sex crime
Staff writer
Peabody-Burns vocational agriculture teacher Brett McGee was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of having sexual contact with a female student.
Before McGee’s name was released to news media, Undersheriff Larry Starkey had confirmed to the Record that deputies were investigating sexual allegations involving a male teacher and an underage female student.
McGee, 30, is the second Peabody-Burns teacher accused of some form of misconduct this semester.
A still-unidentified teacher was suspended in January pending an investigation into unspecified allegations. The sheriff’s department said this week that it had no new information it was willing to release regarding that case.
Authorities began investigating McGee a week ago, after a report was made to the sheriff’s office about inappropriate communication between a teacher and a student at Peabody-Burns High School.
Investigators determined that sexual contact had occurred, leading to McGee’s arrest this week.
The investigation involved the Kansas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which assisted in gathering evidence.
McGee no longer is employed by the district. The school board met in executive session board Feb. 23, the same day the investigation started, and afterward passed a resolution terminating McGee’s employment.
The district would not discuss the case or identify McGee at the time because of confidentiality laws, superintendent Antoinette Root said.
“Nothing matters more than the safety and well-being of every student in our care,” Root said. “Confidentiality laws prevent me from sharing any details about a report involving a USD 398 employee or student.”
She used almost identical language in January in commenting on the other case.
The sheriff’s office said Tuesday that its investigation remained active but that no additional information would be released at this time.
McGee was booked into McPherson County Jail rather than Marion County Jail because a jail employee in Marion has a family member connected to the case, Starkey said. He was being held Tuesday night without bond.
A social media page for the Peabody-Burns FFA chapter featured a cover photo of McGee and six students until Thursday, when it was replaced by an FFA logo against the backdrop of a wheat field.
According to court records from Ellis County, where McGee attended college, he was accused in 2017 furnishing alcohol to a minor. After pleading no contest, however, the misdemeanor charge against him was dismissed.
Information posted online indicates McGee lives in Hesston, is married, and has three young children, including one who was baptized this past fall.
This is not the first time a Peabody-Burns teacher has faced criminal allegations involving students.
In 2018, teacher Christopher R. Young pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of a child involving students.
Young initially was charged with eight felony counts alleging unlawful sexual relations and sexual exploitation of two different students before reaching a plea agreement.
After hearing statements from victims’ parents at the time, District Judge Michael Powers ordered Young to serve 60 days in jail followed by three years of community corrections